The Cloister and the Hearth follows the young scholar Gerard, who travels across 15th-century Europe in search of artistic training and a better future for himself and his beloved Margaret. His journey leads him through danger, temptation, deception, and hardship, ultimately forcing him to choose between earthly love and religious vocation. Torn between personal duty and spiritual calling, Gerard’s path reveals both the brutality and the humanity of medieval life, culminating in a moving reconciliation of faith, love, and destiny.

Charles Reade

The cloister and the hearth