Questa serie narra l'avvincente storia di vita di un uomo che divenne una guida spirituale e un simbolo di speranza in tempi difficili. Segue il suo viaggio dai primi anni, attraverso lo sviluppo della sua fede e missione, fino alla sua vita successiva, dove ispirò innumerevoli individui. È un ritratto profondamente umano e spirituale che esplora il potere della fede, del coraggio e della devozione di fronte alle avversità. La narrazione offre uno spaccato della vita in Russia durante il tumultuoso XX secolo.
Father Arseny became prisoner no. 18376 in the brutal special sector of the Soviet prison camp system. This narrative, compiled from the accounts of his spiritual children and others whom he brought to God, gives glimpses of his life in prison camp and after his release.
The second volume, A Cloud of Witnesses, contains 16 additional first-person contributions, material that became available following publication of the first collection. These are statements and recordings by priests, poets, a psychiatrist, a secret service agent, and "ordinary" people who experienced Father Arseny’s transformational and inspirational influence on their lives. Well-known academic psychiatrist Dmitri Melikov was deeply moved by Father Arseny’s insightful compassion, perspicacity, and feel for humanity. Melikov regularly returned to him for consultation. These accounts of Father Arseny’s life, career, and death complement and substantiate the stories in the first volume.