In which Elmer Gantry, caught between the buoyant Young Married Set at Wellspring Church and the steady familiarity of old acquaintances, navigates the uneasy balance of charm, temptation, and sermonised morality with the acumen of a practised preacher. In this careful unfolding of social and personal contours, he reconnects with figures from his past, finding both old ties and new contentments amid the shifting shades of his ministerial life.