One woman, five husbands and the weary rabbi at the well who knows everything she ever did. The day after they bury her husband Leah Marcellus loses her baby. A widow and childless, what man will want her now? Her father arranges a second marriage-a profitable business arrangement-sealed on Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain where every true follower of Yahweh worships, but Leah's heart belongs to another. Her passion only brings trouble - jealousy, murder and lies. Leah's skill at the loom and the secrets of dye -the woad, the murex and madder-brings her renown among the Roman women of wealth. Yet death and betrayal soon steal her security. In desperation, Leah sacrifices her peace of mind and risks everything to protect her family. From the olive groves of Samaria to the bloodied sand of a Roman stadium to the exquisite silks brought from the East, The Silk Merchant of Sychar weaves colour into the biblical account of the woman at the well.