1491, the village of Oakham, lost among the English forests, cut off from the centers of civilization by a stormy river. Early in the morning, news arrives that the village rich man Thomas Newman has died. Murder, suicide, accident? Or maybe he didn’t die at all, but disappeared? Priest John Reeve, who, as a confessor, knows many of the secrets of the villagers, wants to figure out what happened to Newman, a man not only the richest in Oakham, but also the most hardworking, most educated and full of all kinds of ideas. And what will happen if what happened to him remains a mystery? The story told by the priest moves slowly, windingly backwards, from the ending to its beginning, revealing a microcosm of medieval existence with its fears, hopes, bizarre beliefs, savagery and discomfort - an ascetic and incredibly colorful existence. The four days of Pancake week are full of anxiety, strange shadows, secrets and unclear questions. Priest John Reeve, at war with his own instincts and passions, with his flock, with the very structure of the world, tries not only to understand what happened to his friend, but also to realize where man ends and God begins, how the work of human hands is interfaced with the highest will of God .