Summary

The prologue of the novel takes place on March 24th of 1944, near the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. Angelo, a priest, awoke in a ditch by the road, having been beaten nearly to death by German soldiers. He slowly made his way toward the Church of Santa Cecilia, recalling along the way his awakening of faith during a school outing to a church. During the outing, Angelo saw Donatello’s sculpture of St. George and became entranced by it, discussing the work with a priest who informed him of the St. George’s story. As dawn approached, Angelo arrived at the church and collapsed at the gate. Mother Francesca and a man named Mario Sonnino carry him upstairs and inform him that a woman named Eva had been taken by the Germans. The prologue concludes with a diary entry from Eva dated the...