Francis Chisholm is a kind-hearted and modest priest whose individuality and spontaneity make him unpopular among the clergy. To get rid of the “inconvenient” priest, he is sent to China. For more than thirty years, Chisholm supported the mission despite extreme poverty, civil war, plague, and the hostility of his superiors. Battling stupidity, bigotry and cruelty, Father Chisholm receives the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, which cannot be counterfeited, bought or stolen. Cronin's novel is a fascinating, energetic, colorful story about a deeply spiritual man who does good in an imperfect world. "Keys of the Kingdom" - one of the best film adaptations of modern English-language literature with the inimitable Gregory Peck in the title role.