The Evangelist

Summary

In an era defined by the burgeoning roar of the Industrial Revolution, Philip Nuneham stands as a titan of progress, a man whose soul is inextricably bound to the blueprints of power plants rather than the emotional architecture of his own home. His wife, Christabel, languishes in a gilded cage of neglect, her affection redirected toward the dashing but ultimately ephemeral Rex Allan, a military officer. Their clandestine dalliance culminates in a feverish, secret journey to Southampton—a final tryst before Rex departs for the Indian frontier. However, fate intervenes with a violent shudder when a vehicular catastrophe leaves Christabel broken on the roadside. Her savior emerges in the form of Sylvanus Rebbings, a radical evangelist whose heterodox sermons have invited the vitriol of the ecclesiastical elite. As Christabel seeks spiritual asylum within Rebbings' controversial fold, the return of her former lover and the cold discovery of her infidelity by a vengeful Philip threaten to dismantle her world, leaving her to choose between the sanctimony of the church, the cruelty of her husband, and the desperate love for her daughter, Ione.

Synopsis

Businessman Philip Nuneham pays more attention to his business of building power plants than he does to his wife Christabel. Feeling neglected and unloved, Christabel is receptive to the attentions of Rex Allan, a young army officer. When his regiment is suddenly called to duty in India, he convinces Christabel to secretly accompany him to Southampton to see him off. She spends the night with him, and on her way home the next day she is involved in auto accident and injured. Renowned evangelist Sylvanus Rebbings rescues her. He has the largest congregation in the country, but has incurred the enmity of the religious establishment because of his "radical" views on religion and religious hypocrisy, Christabel finds out that she really needs his help when Rex comes home from India and she attempts to end their affair, but her husband discovers her infidelity and threatens to divorce her and keep their daughter Ione.