Reverend Ernst Toller of the First Reformed Church in Snowbridge, New York is writing down his thoughts in a journal for a year, after which he intends to destroy it. First Reformed, a 250-year-old Dutch Reformed Church, faces dwindling attendance under Toller's leadership, which has taken the church in a new direction and away from its historical focus on Reformed theology. In trying to manage his own life issues, Toller seeks a deeper experience through reading Roman Catholic (Thomas Merton and G.K. Chesterton) and mystical books (The Cloud of Unknowing). This new spiritual direction leads him to seek support from a nearby charismatic megachurch, Abundant Life, which owns the historical landmark, and previous stop on the Underground Railroad.