Summary

In Chicago, in 1938, Edward, the son of Agnes and Ignace, travels to Boston to seek employment at the Reid Studio, a glassblowing company that specializes in church windows. Edward wanted to go to seminary school but was rejected because of his lack of religious experience, a deficiency he attributes to Agnes and Ignace’s irreligiosity. His parents barely seem to notice when he leaves, consumed as they are in a photoshoot for Life magazine about the sculpture of the bee and the foxglove.

Edward is hired by the Reid Studio and quickly realizes that Mr. Reid is only interested in him because of his admiration for Agnes and Ignace’s work. Despite his clumsiness, Edward is brought to help install stained glass windows at a college in New Hampshire. When his birthday comes, he waits all day for a call from his parents, but none...