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A twenty-nine year old man has strange dreams of being raped by another man when he was only ten years old. All he knows for sure is that his mother was sent to prison after shooting and killing that very man, the son of a powerful Bishop. Now Bryan Powers, or "BB" is drawn into a money laundering scheme set up by a Mexican drug cartel. They want him and his two childhood friends to start three different "fake" churches that the cartel can use as laundering mechanisms. They will be paid by the drug lord and can keep the proceeds from donations for themselves. Five years later the "churches" have become well established with enormous congregations and considerable clout. But while BB has a change of heart and begins to use his fake ministry for altruistic purposes, his two friends do not. One becomes drug addicted; the other resorts to embezzlement of the cartel's money.
This short novella is a quick study in character, corruption, and redemption. It's language is down-to-earth and straightforward in the telling, the characters larger than life while remaining believable. The themes covered are human temptation, suffering, and paths of redemption. Power and its misuses are also in the mix. The story portrays circumstances when extraordinary efforts are needed to protect the innocent from victimization. The plot is fast-paced, with the allure of easy money, fame, and sexual license playing out as the story advances inexorably toward its conclusion. In one way, the concept of exalted individualism is highlighted, examined, and shown to be essentially faulty in this work. Community and solidarity are necessary for the truly good to manifest.