In God's Country

In a largely self-contained and secretive polygamist community where the belief is that a man marrying multiple women and having as many children as humanly possible ensures passage into heaven which in turn means that the older men with status often choose underage girls to bore those multiple children, Judith Leavitt, a third generation member, is one of the junior wives of community leader, Bishop Josiah Leavitt. They have four children of their own, plus an older, sixteen year old Charlotte Joseph, being Judith's daughter from a previous marriage. Judith was forced to divorce her first husband, who she loved and who was excommunicated for considered to be a non-believer, to marry Josiah. Judith's secret status as Josiah's favorite wife takes a turn when she tries to take an action to protect their twelve year old daughter, Alice Leavitt. Josiah temporarily banishing Judith and the kids from the house to send her a message to obey or else leads to Judith deciding to make it permanent by taking the children out of the community altogether in realizing that they have no freedom, the male community leaders who have all the power. Judith and the children have a difficult enough transition to life in the "outside" world, but it is made a little easier, in addition to social services, with the support of a compassionate supermarket clerk named Louise, and Police Officer Wayne. Beyond Josiah wanting to find Judith to deal with her in her actions threatening his possible ascension to Prophet, Judith may have an equal problem with Charlotte, who wants to marry seventeen year old Jamie Coyle, that despite the Prophet wanting her ultimately to marry someone older to provide her greater guidance. If Charlotte does try to get back into the polygamist community to marry Jamie, she may not fully realize the consequences to her, Jamie, and her mother and siblings.