A community is most vulnerable without its leader。 When Bishop Mast disappears from the Amish community of Caroline Creek， rumors， gossip， and speculation quickly begin to dominate conversations。 That speculation is soon replaced by worry， and then， fear。 Someone， or something， is manipulating members within the community—an invisible force， playing God with their lives。 Still， steeped in tradition and manmade rules， they try mightily to stay the course。 Now， they must elect a new leader to replace the bishop。 But even in this simple task， the invisible force intervenes。

Maria Reader， a controversial Amish teen who is perpetually at odds with the ministers， who lives with one foot inside the community and one foot out， is one of the only people asking the tough questions。 Maria teams up with Bruce Ellsworth， an English private investigator from the nearby city， and together， they search for the missing bishop。 This job is made more difficult because of the manipulative messages that keep arriving in the mailboxes of members—messages that are shameful， hurtful， and that are designed to rouse suspicion and distrust。

The community's lack of leadership is ultimately their downfall。 Caught in a tangled web of deceit， power struggles， and always the invisible force manipulating them， they finally run out of time and members begin to turn on each other。 The only real question is， can Maria Reader save them before all is lost？