Married for 20 years to the Reverend Benjamin Lynch, a handsome, ambitious minister of the prestigious Methodist church, Dean Lynch has never quite adjusted her temperament to the demands of the role of a "Sunday wife." When her husband is assigned to a larger church, Dean becomes fast friends with Augusta Holderfield, a woman with a secret past whose good looks and extravagant habits immediately entrance Dean --- much to Ben's disgust.

As their friendship evolves, Dean begins to break free from her traditional role as the preacher's wife, shocking some of the more staid members of the congregation. Just as Dean is questioning everything she has always valued, a tragedy occurs, providing the catalyst for change in ways she never could have imagined --- and providing a climatic conclusion that resonate with emotional power.