This is the story of a young girl who claims to have gone months without eating, living off "manna from heaven." A Nightingale-trained nurse is brought in to observe her for two weeks for the purpose of proving her claim, so that she the girl be validated as a miracle and any suspicions cast on her family as potential swindlers can be resolved.

The nurse believes there is no way the child can be subsisting on a few tablespoons of water, so she's intent on discovering the means by which food is being delivered. This creates a premise for readers that's a bit like telling the audience at a magic show that if they stick around, they'll get to see how the trick was performed. This book centers around questions of faith, families, and what we choose to see.