The Dearly Beloved

James, who had never wanted to marry, now wants to marry Nan. Nan wants to marry James, but she wants him to accept her family, her passion for music, and her relationship with God before they take that step. James does not believe in God, however, having been discouraged from faith by his father. When James starts going to the ecumenical church at Wheaton, he loves the friendly environment there and wants to believe. He talks to his uncle, who tells him that he was called to become a priest but became a banker instead because he needed money. As a banker, he could also give others money, and that fulfilled his calling.

James introduces Nan to his family, who work to make themselves and the house presentable for her. She has dinner with them, brings James’s mother flowers, and sings for them, which they love. Nan leaves with a fondness for James’s family and assures him that she does not care about their less privileged background. She says that she loves him, and he takes her hand.

James then meets Nan’s family in Mississippi to get their blessing before he proposes to her. James answers her father’s questions, telling him that he loves Nan and will support her by working in the ministry. Her father asks him if he believes in God, and he confesses that he does not know. Ultimately, he wants to believe and help others through ministry. Nan’s father gives James his blessing to marry Nan and study in England, which James’s uncle recommended. James and Nan marry in two ceremonies, each with one of their families, before honeymooning in Maine and leaving for England.

Charles and Lily have more dinners over the next year and a half. Lily questions Charles about his faith and becomes angry when he says he does not know the answer to why bad things happen if God is real. He does not reveal his uncertainties about the Bible and his skill in ministry because he knows she won’t accept it. Lily is unsure about their future but finds his faith to be a complement to her grief.

After seeing a contemporary art show, they each express disappointment in it, which makes Lily laugh and makes Charles determined to serve both God and her. He asks her again if she is sure that she does not believe in God, and she says she does not. When she asks him if he hopes to convince her someday, he says no and assures her that he just wants to make her happy. He then asks her if she loves him, and she tells him she does not know, even though she does. She also tells him that he will never give her peace. This upsets him, and they do not speak for weeks.

Lily is preparing for her PhD program and graduation. She waits alone for graduation and wishes that she did not love Charles, feeling defined by her solitude. She calls Charles, who is still upset with her, and tells him that she can love him because her parents were in love. She asks him if he accepts her lack of belief, and he replies that he does not need her to believe in God as long as she believes in him, which she does.

After Charles graduates from divinity school, he and Lily marry on Martha’s Vineyard with all their relatives there. They wear her parents’ rings, and Charles cherishes her smile.

After their marriage, James and Nan rent a flat in Kensington while James goes to King’s College London. Nan loves being a wife and starts tending to their flat and playing music. They befriend their landlord, Henry, and his wife, Lucinda. Lucinda shares the story of her and Henry’s early married years and how lonely they were before recommending that Nan talk to her if she has any marital problems.

Meanwhile, Charles and Lily move to Nantucket, where Charles works as an associate pastor for Harold Evans, an eccentric and old-fashioned man. Charles loves Nantucket, as it reminds him of his childhood. Lily tries to make the best of their move and works on her dissertation. Charles admires her work but worries about how guarded she still is with him. He also finds Harold’s eccentricity confusing next to his impressive work as a missionary. Soon, Charles adjusts to the congregation. Lily enjoys Nantucket, but she dislikes attending church despite Charles not requiring her to go. She also laments Charles’s inability to help her in her grief.

While James visits the churches around London, Nan begins attending a church near the flat, which she finds comforting and where she starts singing in the choir. She notices James’s faith displayed in his growing attention to social justice, which she admires but also fears. James and Nan begin attending the theater and visiting his uncle Phillip, who shows James books about other men who joined the clergy despite wrestling with faith. James excels in his studies and relates to the men who fought in the war, admiring how open they are about their experience compared to people in the United States. This inspires him to strive for a better world. However, Nan has a miscarriage, which devastates her. She tries to hold onto her faith and her belief that God has a plan for her. She also tries to remain grateful for what she still has but feels like her faith has been shaken as she stays in the hospital.

Charles encourages Lily to come to church to alleviate her loneliness, but Lily assures him that she shares his moral code but does not need faith in God. Charles is amazed and puzzled by Lily’s practicality but worries about the coexistence of his faith and his devotion to Lily. Harold Evans tells him that each person’s faith is different and that faith, not love, is what will determine the success of Charles’s marriage. As Lily completes her dissertation, she feels lonely and trapped in Nantucket, which she shares with Charles. He tells her that he believes that God called him to help people and that he has faith in his marriage because of his faith in God. He then tells her that they will not stay for long if she does not want to.

After Nan is released from the hospital, she goes to the manor house gardens for fresh air at her doctors’ recommendation. She starts growing plants, taking comfort in the order of it. They go with James’s uncle Phillip to read letters found by members of Phillip’s church. There, James and Phillip talk about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and look forward to his progress with the civil rights movement. James tells Phillip that change can come quickly if people take the necessary steps. Nan gets a letter from her father, who is worried about the racism rampant in their town, and tells her it is good that she left. When they arrive, the book collectors, Arthur and his wife, Leonora, greet them. While James and Phillip talk to Arthur, Leonora shows Nan books on English gardening by Vita Sackville-West, who believed that she could make plants grow in any environment. Nan doubts this, now finding herself unable to have the thing she wants most: a child. After they depart, James has a vision to make the world better and put his plans for progress into action. Nan then tells him that she wants to go home to America.