It was perhaps England's darkest hour. It was a time when reading the Bible was against the law, and there was a death penalty in place to stop heresy; even Catholic priests were being burned alive. Margery Kempe was born into this world. She dared to follow her truth, and the calling she knew came from Jesus Christ himself. But she paid mightily for it, and she was repeatedly arrested, put on trial, even threatened with death. Kempe's only lifeline was her wit, determination, and a few influential friends who believed in her cause.