This book is a study of Klara Schlink (1904–2001) and the independent protestant community of sisters she and Erika Madauss (1904–99) started in Germany. Though not formally organized until 1947, the first gathering of women occurred in 1945, in the aftermath of the 1944 bombing of Darmstadt. They practiced individual repentance and came to see themselves as spiritual priests interceding in behalf of the German people, holding back the judgment of God for Germany's treatment of the Jews. The leaders of the group were influenced by German pietism and American premillennialism, but Mother Basilea (Schlink) developed most of her ideas during private retreats and regarded them to be messages from God.

The community's original name, the Ecumenical Sisterhood of Mary, was later changed to the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary. It currently has about 200 members.

George Faithful makes use of Mother Basilea's numerous writings and analyzes the art and architecture of Kanaan, the retreat center she designed and the sisters built. He places the movement in the context of developments in Germany. By comparing the group with protestant church statements during the years immediately following the war, he shows that they were the first to wrestle deeply with the guilt of the German people. He carefully sorts out how Mother Basilea's thought both reflected and went beyond her context.

The story of the Evangelical Sisters of Mary is unique and interesting, but the larger contribution of this book is the window it provides into developments in post-war Germany.