The proud Maronite Catholic clansmen of Zghorta. a mountain village famed for its fighting spirit since the days of the First Crusade, are as pious as they are touchy. When they are feuding—and that is most of the time—they are careful to go to church and ask God's help in aiming their guns, and even when they are on the run, they seldom miss Sunday Mass.
The three leading families of Zghorta are the rich and influential Franjiehs, the ancient and patrician Karams, and the fertile Moawads, who outnumber each of the others....