In the small town of Heward, Pennsylvania, charismatic Reverend Ted Wendell and his wife of twenty years Emily Wendell are the well-respected power couple behind the Heward Community Church and its associated ministry empire, which currently includes a radio show. Although Emily loves her husband, small signs demonstrate to her that he is slowly pulling away from her, at least professionally, as he starts to make decisions about the ministry without consulting her, at a crucial time where they have been working on moving from the radio show into television. That television deal is now in the works with Ted needing to make a good impression on the decision makers for it to happen. Another unilateral decision Ted makes is to take in and hire a young drifter named Luke McElroy as a handyman, Luke who Ted allows to stay in a room in the church basement.