John Wagner is a middle-aged, divorced-no-kids, non-practicing Catholic, successful lawyer in Sacramento, California, who gives up everything to work for human rights in Peru in the early 1990's, a time of horrific violence there. A frequent adventure and spiritual traveler, John’s life changed dramatically during a study tour on the history and political reality of Peru, including studying about Sendero Luminoso, the vicious terrorist group. Disillusioned with any organized religion, he sees the “new” Catholicism of a focus on the poor as a way to reconcile his desire to help with his cynicism toward religion.