Dedicated to the Shiloh Shrine before his birth, Samuel is brought up to be a priest of Yahweh, a quiet life of ritual and service. But when the army of Ephraim is defeated by the Philistines, the sacred Ark captured, and the Shiloh Shrine abandoned, Samuel must redefine his role in the fragmented and war-torn Israelite society. Acknowledging only his God Yahweh as Ruler, how will Samuel lead the people to remain faithful to Yahweh's covenant when the Elders of the scattered tribes ask for a King to unify them?