The Power and the Glory Summary

The narrative begins with a clergyman, the last of his kind due to a ban on religion in his state, who misses his chance to escape the capital city when he's called to attend a dying woman. He finds refuge at a plantation and later visits a village, where he encounters his former lover, Maria, and their daughter, Brigida. He conducts mass for the villagers, but his nemesis, a lieutenant who despises religion, arrives in search of him. However, the priest goes unrecognized and the lieutenant, unaware that his quarry is within reach, seizes a hostage to ensure the villagers' honesty about the priest's whereabouts.

The priest continues his journey, now accompanied by an uninvited and dubious man known as the mestizo who hopes to claim the reward for turning him in. However, when the mestizo falls ill, the priest manages to lose him and instead, heads back to the capital city. Disguised, the priest attempts to secure a bottle of wine to conduct mass but is arrested after a botched deal and chase. In jail, he confesses his identity to fellow prisoners but is released after encountering the lieutenant again and still going unrecognized.

After escaping custody, the priest learns he's out of danger thanks to a man named Mr. Lehr who informs him that they're in a state where religion is permitted. Before setting off to Las Casas, he agrees to hear the confession of a dying outlaw named gringo, knowing it's a trap. As anticipated, he's recaptured by the lieutenant and tried in the capital city. On the eve of his execution, the priest struggles to repent for his sins. His execution is witnessed by Mr. Tench, who later reveals the priest's martyrdom to a boy, inspiring the latter to offer shelter to another priest seeking refuge.