Translated from the Spanish original by Marlon James Sales, this book is the second of Miro’s Oleza novels, following Our Father San Daniel. The book recounts the story of the Bishop of Oleza whose affliction with a rare skin disease affects the people of the town and their decisions regarding the building of a railway to aid the ailing prelate. Miro’s eloquent prose expresses the experiences of the people living in that time and place, and their struggle to find happiness while living in a constant state of conflict against established mores.