Book excerpt: Widower for three years. Frequent periods of unemployment throughout his life. Unresolved anger. A fragmented family that cannot deal with a father spiraling downward. When Martin receives a letter from his old eighth grade teacher asking him to forgive her for a painful childhood accusation, he is overwhelmed once again by his hatred for Miss Wingate, blaming her for much of what went wrong in his life. His son and daughter eventually help him take reluctant steps to forgive the teacher he wished was long dead. He also meets recently-divorced Linda who brings a flow of freshness into his life. She encourages Martin to visit this teacher, now dying from dementia in a nursing home. Along his journey to the coal mining community of his childhood, strangers enter his life compelling him to confront his past and unsure future—helping him move from failure to forgiveness and spiritual redemption.