The Levite and his concubine (a semi-wife) are passing through town one night, and taken in by a hospitable old man. After cleaning up and sharing dinner together, the evening takes a dark turn and unspeakable events unfold. The concubine is pushed out of the house to a violent mob and she is raped and tortured until day break, then hauled back home, dismembered, and mailed to the 12 tribes of Israel. - She was despised and rejected, a woman of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; we turned our backs and looked the other way.

Yet hidden in the shadows of this grievous tale are valuable messages about sin, salvation, and the power of the cross.