Book excerpt: Charles T. Gregory, a decorated combat veteran of Vietnam, after due deliberation decides to become a priest. It's the right choice for him and he advances rapidly to become the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston. As Cardinal, he tries to do everything for everybody but he doesn't have the money. His congregation is shrinking, collections are declining and many of his parishes are in economic trouble. His sister pleads with him to use all his income to educate the children before their minds are stolen by the wanton world around them. After much soul searching he decides to sell his hospitals and use the proceeds to rebuild his school system. But Greg knows that the invincible bureaucrats in Rome's Curia will emasculate this radical plan unless he first obtains the Pope's approval. He must find a way around Rome's inflexible and all-powerful apparatchiks or his plan for new schools will die in the catacombs of the Vatican bureaucracy.