A touch of the sea life in a Norwegian town. Well to do merchant ship captain, middle age gets manuevered in a marriage to a staunch religious young woman. The bride submits out of respect for her mother's desire to see her well off, rather than well off and in love. Heart breaking events develop in the life of the man Sarah was in love with, a traveling minister of her religious group. This novel shows how misery can emerge from fanatical misconceptions of spirituality, misuse of these common misconceptions on a superstitious mind leads to compromise of one's self, for the temporary enjoyment of a youthful spouse. The ending was surprising and left me wanting the next in a series with remaining characters. Events developed at moderate pace excellent blend of narration and dialogue, yet didactic. ( )