This is the story of a survivor, Steve O’Connor, a man who has lived a life of resilience, a life described by others as heroic, yet tragic. The book begins with a simple reunion, a celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of a small Catholic school in Seattle. It ends with one of the most dramatic, precedent-setting civil trials ever to take place in the history of the Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis.

A unanimous jury verdict would determine the largest award of its kind for an individual victim. The account of the direct-evidence trial includes corroborating testimony and revelations that are astonishing and heart-wrenching.

It leaves no doubt about the secrets kept to cover up these horrific crimes—and of the determination of those who struggle through the pain, shame, and guilt to speak their truth and gain justice.