

A bomb threat on the Compound has everyone on edge, especially Eddie who feels responsible for it. Back with a vengeance, Cal uses information that may affect Vera personally to blackmail her into naming him CEO of Meyerism. In questioning her faith, Sarah discovers that The Ladder may have had another author, a woman, and she was forcefully silenced.
Eddie is the new Guardian of the light, and with the help of his sleek new publicist Vera, Eddie removes security and opens up the doors of the movement; but when blood appears on the Compound, even his supporters will question his decision. After one of her blackmail victims commits suicide, Sarah seeks to be punished. For that she goes to Cal, who is living his own version of torture in Florida, along with Mary and his son Forest.
When the family of a novice publicly bashes Eddie, he must choose between turning the other cheek and using Vera as a weapon to fire back. An old Meyerist ritual brings out repressed memories for Cal, and as much as he wants to forget, destiny, and Mary, won’t let him. Sarah’s faith crisis deepens when she meets a College Professor of Religion who challenges everything she’s ever believed in.