Rita and Bill are a mature happily married couple living in Wellington. One day Rita receives a letter from a Leland Swann in America, advising of the death of his wife Betty, and his imminent arrival in their city. Rita is thrown into a state of nervous and excited anticipation as she prepares for their visitor.
Her mind drifts back to her first encounter with Leland and indeed bill forty years earlier. Leland was the charismatic leader of a christian evangelist movement in Minnesota the city of her birth. She, Betty and Bill were some of many young people drawn to his message in the early '60's.
However she and bill fell out of favour and were dispatched to New Zealand to spread the word. They failed in this endeavour but embarked on the journey of raising their son and daughter with christian values.
When they arrive home from the airport with Leland , they find their daughter Stella waiting on their doorstep her leg in plaster. The ensuing months see the foundation of Rita and Bill's marriage shaken as they plan their 40th wedding anniversary celebrations. ( )