The novel follows Jim Carmody, an American pilot who, after crashing in a remote region of China during World War II, becomes the trusted lieutenant of a warlord named Mieh Yang. He is discontent with his situation, and when he witnesses the murder of a Catholic priest by one of Yang’s soldiers, he seizes the opportunity to escape by assuming the dead priest’s identity, becoming Father O’Shea. Carmody finds refuge at an American missionary hospital and, despite his disguise, begins to genuinely fulfill the duties of a priest, leading the mission and interacting with its staff and the local villagers.Â
While at the mission, he develops feelings for a widowed nurse named Anne Scott (also known as “Scotty”), who, as a devout Catholic, struggles with her own feelings for him, given his presumed priestly vows. The mission’s tenuous peace is shattered when General Yang discovers Carmody’s whereabouts and arrives with his army, intent on forcing Carmody to rejoin him.Â
Carmody, still masquerading as Father O’Shea, challenges General Yang to a game of dice, a customary way for them to resolve disputes. Carmody wagers five years of loyal service against his freedom and the safety of the local villagers and wins, but Yang forces him to play again, this time for the future of the Protestant mission. Carmody wins again, leading Yang to abandon his plans and allow the myth of Father O’Shea’s saintly power to remain unchallenged. Before leaving the mission, Carmody reveals his true identity to Anne and confesses his love for her, but they cannot be together due to her commitment to her faith and his newfound freedom.Â
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