For over two millennia the history of the Lamanites has been concealed, their legacy fading through the passage of time. Now, in a sweeping narrative based on the unique and often misunderstood Lamanite nation, the momentous events surrounding the birth of Christ are reimagined as never before . . . From the time he was a boy, eighteen-year-old Ishmael has been regaled with incredible stories of his ancestors. His father is record-keeper of the Lamanite archives, a role that Ishmael will soon take on himself. Though his focus should be on his impending acceptance into the Lamanite tribe, Ishmael’s thoughts are elsewhere. Long has he admired the lovely Maija, the woman he hopes to marry. But she refuses to wed a man who does not share her faith in the teachings of the Nephites and the words of Samuel the Lamanite about the sign of the Savior’s impending birth.After beginning his work in the archives, Ishmael makes a momentous discovery when he unearths the lost record of the Lamanites—a history started by Laman himself. As he reads the accounts of Laman, Ishmael embarks on a journey of spiritual introspection as the seeds of faith in the words of Samuel begin to grow in Ishmael’s heart. Yet even as he discovers the light of faith, a darkness spreads across the land. The Gadianton robbers are hunting all those who believe on the words of Samuel, and Ishmael must make a decision: join their brotherhood, or lose the people most precious to him.