Compare the character arcs of Gwenda, Caris, and Lady Phillipa. What does the fate of each woman demonstrate about the lives of women during this period?

Caris realizes that the “plague was not just a physical sickness” (718). What are the political, economic, and social impacts of the plague?

Consider the religious leaders in the novel. Their duties are “political as much as religious” (85), but political and religious values are often in conflict. How does each leader resolve this conflict? How do their choices affect the church and town?