In the lead up to Christmas, many people on Hope Island are losing faith. Daniel's best friend, Arnie Greenburg, is running away from his faith. He has quit his job as a rabbi in the cancer ward of a children's hospital because he saw his faith as not preventing the suffering and death around him. And the commercial fishermen on the island have lost faith in their business and especially Daniel for the fact of not catching fish. Although the fishing was bad prior, they blame Daniel for their current woes because Daniel would not complete the blessing of the boats, an old tradition resurrected because of the bad fishing state. Daniel refused to do so because some of the text he was required to read he considered sacrilegious. Bob White in particular is angry at Daniel because his fishing boat sank immediately following Daniel's refusal. Bob's financial situation is worse than most of the other men due to his family situation. The fishermen need to find something - anything - to believe in. They look to Nub, who seems to be the only person on the island who is catching anything and who admits to having a secret fishing ritual. Daniel wants the fishermen to believe in something real and Arnie needs to find his path in life. Evan, Bob's son, may be the catalyst for both.
—Huggo