At the start of the first novel Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot, at the age of 45. Father Peregrine, whose name in religion is Columba, is an arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove, whose struggles to manifest the character he considers to be expected of an abbot provide much of the narrative. He is surrounded by a company of flawed, human monks who are – for the most part – also serious about their calling, and who – again for the most part – come to love their driven and hard-driving leader. They lived six centuries ago, yet their struggles are our own—finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.