Over the centuries, the Valaam islands have been abandoned, they have been the setting for bloody wars, they have flourished in peace time, they have seen incredible spiritual feats, and they have seen betrayal. Their calling — to be a bulwark of the Russian Orthodox faith — remains unchanged, however. Host Alexander Uvarov learns about the troubled history of one of the oldest monasteries in Russia. This cloister has repeatedly come back from the brink to be reborn with evermore strength.