In Chicago in 1890, rules and expectations for women are strict, their roles in life limited. But sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents have delivered them to the Sinai Desert. Accompanied by Soren Petersen, their somber young butler, and Kate Rafferty, a street urchin learning to be their ladies' maid, the two women are on a quest chasing rumors of an important biblical manuscript. As the expedition becomes more dangerous, the travelers recall the events that shaped them and the journeys and providence that brought them to this very time and place.