Jesus of Montreal

Simon Birch and Joe Wenteworth are boys who have a reputation for being oddballs. Joe never knew his father, and his mother, Rebecca, is keeping her lips sealed no matter how much he protests. Simon, meanwhile, is an 11-year-old dwarf whose outsize personality belies his small stature. Indeed, he often assails the local reverend with thorny theological questions and joins Joe on his quest to find his biological father.

Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

Eva Dandridge has been in charge of her younger sisters ever since their parents died many years ago. She is a very uptight young woman who constantly meddles in the affairs of her sisters and their significant others. Her brothers-in-law, who are tired of Eva interfering in their lives, decide to set her up with someone so she can leave them alone. They end up paying Ray, the local "playboy," $5,000 to date her. The plan goes by smoothly, but trouble comes when Ray actually falls in love with Eva.

Once, Neil Marlow's life was a spontaneous festival of frivolity, friends and funk music. Now, it's one of OAPs, weekly bingo and ready-meals. Neil Marlow (aka The Rev) has chosen a life of the cloth above a life of liberalism. Like so many before him, he is convinced that his sexuality and extroverted personality are incompatible with his religious beliefs. This is the story of that struggle. The struggle of repression and rejection, of the vain attempt to leave a part of himself behind in the belief that he will somehow be happier if he inhibits his true self.

A small New Testament passes through the hands of fourteen strangers. For seven of the individuals, their lives will never be the same.