"I don't see why you insist on baptism. You were baptized long ago," she pouted.

His reply was gentle. "That was not true baptism. Now, I am prepared to confess my faith in Jesus Christ and receive baptism as a symbol of dying with Him—taking up His cross and living a new life in His power."

Thus spoke Jacob Dirks to his very unhappy wife, Anneken, who definitely did not want her husband to become a "heretic."

Besides Anneken, who resisted the cross of Christ, you will meet in this story two sisters called Adriana and Mariken. The lives of these three women were bound up with three Dirks men—Jacob and his sons.

This series of historical fiction brings to life some of the heritage of the Dutch Mennonites, beginning with the turmoil of the 1560s under the rule of Spain, and tracing several generations through opposition and opportunity, leaving us with questions to ponder for our faith today.