A solitary, middle-aged reverend, Ernst Toller, oversees a small historical church in Upstate New York which has become more a tourist attraction than a spiritual haven, scant of a congregation and overshadowed by the success of a nearby megachurch. Toller, a former military chaplain, grapples with the weight of past tragedies that haunt him, including the death of his son and the subsequent dissolution of his marriage. He records his thoughts in a journal, attempting to find solace through words. His daily routines are disrupted when a pregnant parishioner, Mary, seeks his counsel. She is troubled by her radical environmentalist husband, Michael, who is consumed by despair over climate change and the future of their unborn child.

During his counseling sessions with Michael, Toller confronts his own beliefs and the impotence he feels in affecting change in a world seemingly on the brink of environmental catastrophe. As Toller becomes more involved with Mary and begins to reawaken to the world's complexities, he also starts to reflect on the role of the church in a community facing such profound issues. His introspection and increasing doubts about his faith and health pull him into a maelstrom of moral and existential crisis, forcing him to contend with the question of what action, if any, can bring redemption and meaning to his troubled soul.