A disgraced clergyman finds himself exiled to a remote desert facility where he must confront his own moral failings and carnal desires. Thomas Marshfield, a minister stripped of his pulpit due to scandalous behavior, is sent to a rehabilitation center for wayward clerics. Tasked with writing his confession as a form of occupational therapy, he navigates the isolation of the desert while grappling with his past actions and his continued attraction to the women in his life. The narrative is presented as a series of journal entries, providing an intimate look at his internal justifications and theological musings. He faces the scrutiny of the facility's director and the psychological weight of his own self-imposed exile.

Readers frequently highlight the sharp, intellectual wit that permeates the protagonist's voice throughout the text. Discussion often centers on the balance between the character's theological arguments and his blatant hypocrisy, which serves as the primary engine for the book's satire. Critics often point to the dense, allusive prose style as a hallmark of the author's approach to character development. Many readers find the exploration of guilt and redemption to be handled with a clinical, detached irony that invites careful analysis of the narrator's reliability.