Hernie Perera runs the furniture department of Benson?s, the largest store in Singapore. In his spare time he writes stories. Suddenly, his comfortable life is shattered. His father is found to have terminal cancer, he loses his job, and his lover joins the ?Children of the Book?, a Christian sect committed to overthrowing an oppressive government. An old acquaintance and government official promises Hernie literary success in exchange for information on the ?Children of the Book?. He must now decide between the rewards of political corruption and his conscience. With passion and humour A Candle or the Sun reveals a Singapore far different from the tourist brochures.