This is the account of a pilgrim’s journey as he endeavours to live out Saint Paul’s instruction to pray without ceasing . The narrator, an unnamed peasant, sets out on his pilgrimage through 19th-century Russia with nothing but a Bible, a rosary, and some dried bread. As he walks, he recites the Jesus prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me… - a prayer that is said to quiet anxiety and fill the heart with love for all creation. With his prayer constantly on his lips, the pilgrim undergoes a profound spiritual education.