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Melissa isn't too happy with her life. School is difficult, and she has few friends, and her teachers are constantly on her case about something. Little wonder that she flies home as soon as the day is over to seek the comfort and solace of home--and her mother's stories.
The stories Melissa's mother tells center around a small, humble abbey. There, Father Peregrine presides over a number of monks whose troubles, temperaments, and quirks provide for many daily struggles. Sometimes the conflicts will be internal, as in the case of the hungry fellows who snitch pies one night; other times they are direct, a discord between two brothers.
When Father Peregrine is badly injured, late in the first book, more issues arise. Will Father Peregrine be able to accept his difficulties and still rule the abbey? Will he have the humility to allow his brothers in Christ to serve him? It is instances like these that teach Melissa, as well as readers of the book, valuable lessons about life, the love and mercy of God, and the blessings and felowship we can receive from God and his srvants.