set in the 1690's town of cauldridge, massachusetts, erasmus, a young physician, eager to start his own practice, accepts a job.typically closed off from the rest of society, this theocratic town was destitute for a physician to battle infection and wound care. wounds from what? grim ritual offerings, witnessed by a largely inured crowd. they didn't question; the crops were bountiful as promised. the workload is a lot for the physician and he begins mentoring anina, a fifteen-year-old troublesome girl who becomes infatuated with learning everything, not just medicine making. anina soon starts questioning everything about her hometown. tensions rise as the town hits a famine blamed on sin, causing the pastor to maximize his punishments to make amends with the lord. people start turning on each other as starvation spreads throughout the town, causing the clergy to lose grip on their power and a dark secret is about to be exposed.