Miriam, scarred by her brutal father, inkeeper at Bethlehem.
Miriam, hated by her thieving brother, Barabbas.
Miriam, in turn slave gir, curtesan and legendary beauty, whose kindess to a young couple looking for a place to stay changes her life forever.
Miriam, the woman of stone, who encounters Jesus.
 
'No summary of Caryl Porter's beautiful book can begin to do it justice . . . Our hearts are with Miriam from her years as a loving child, leading Mary and Joseph to the cave where Jesus is born, to the hate-filled courtesan brutalised by her father, to the human woman who, through Christ's love within her, is able to forgive.'
- Madeline L'Engle