Summary

“Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain” (18) starts by recounting the Biblical story of Noah’s ark, commenting on the limited nature of God’s promise never to destroy the world again with water. The narration introduces Dori, a pastor’s daughter who is having an ark-themed wedding. The colors of the bridesmaids’ dresses form a rainbow, with each bridesmaid assigned an individual color to wear for the entire wedding weekend, including the bachelorette party. Rena, who has been invited along for the party, has worn black to avoid disrupting the color scheme, while Dori, as the bride, has worn white.

Rena has been invited to the wedding because she met Dori’s husband-to-be, JT, five years ago when they were both on a plane that was delayed due to a possible threat. JT had been returning to...