Young Gerald Mauldin, new deacon of the Episcopal Church in the small Virginia town of Pinkstonville, steps off the train in the fall of 1931 and walks into a perfect storm of high hopes and shattered dreams. The Stumbling Trail follows the young Deacon Gerald as he works to establish a good reputation in both church and community. He learns much of country life in a short time, meeting his future wife and her friends around the area. When one friend is jailed for attempted rape, Gerald unwittingly finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that splits both church and town.