The Prodigal Son is a story about Luke Bennet, a renowned cardiovascular surgeon from Boston, Massachusetts, who as a child, after experiencing the death of his father found solace in science. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, he returns to his hometown of Tremont on a forced "vacation", and faces events that make him question the sterile life he has fashioned: void of all traces of his childhood faith in God and the Catholic Church. While home Luke not only reunites with old friends, he also establishes a new relationship with the exquisitely beautiful stranger named Sophia with whom he becomes intimate. Through her unusual spiritual connection with humanity, she encourages Luke to face his faults, she helps him overcome the childhood trauma that he never healed from, and she guides him to view life in a more balanced way.