This informative book documents the behind-the-scenes stories of the people who erected the second Mormon temple. First-hand accounts are drawn from diaries, journals, and letters.

The prologue discusses briefly the early temple building efforts of the fledgling Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the development of temple-related doctrines during the decade prior to the Nauvoo era, and the arrival of the Saints in Illinois in 1839. The body of the history covers the years 1840, when the temple was first contemplated, to 1850, when its walls were toppled by a hurricane. An epilogue completes the story by recounting the story of the repurchase of the temple lot by the Church in 1937, the lot's excavation in 1962, and the announcement that the temple would be rebuilt. Also included is an appendix containing important eyewitness descriptions of the temple, and a bibliography of major sources.