The title A Light in the Window refers to a warm welcome that awaits loved ones when they return home. Jan Karon uses the light as a metaphor for love between Father Timothy Kavanaugh and Cynthia Coppersmith, who are having trouble declaring their commitment to each other. Father Tim has journeyed to Ireland for a two month's vacation to research his genealogy and to think about future commitments to Cynthia and his job as rector of Our Lord's Chapel in Mitford, North Carolina. Upon his return, Father Tim and Cynthia embrace and acknowledge how much they have missed each other, but Father Tim is soon distracted by concerns of other people and his parish duties: his ward Dooley Barlowe, Edith Mallory with her "seductive casseroles," Miss Sadie's Hope House project, and a town council meeting. A dedicated religious leader must put the needs of his congregation...