After nearly two years in exile, Allen and his friends prepare to ceebrate the homecoming of the prodigal Jim Reid. Everyone believes the event heralds the beginning of happier times, but specters from the past cast their shadows over the present, threatening to ruin the reunion. In The Atonement, friendships and family ties are tested as Allen and the others are forced to revisit old hurts and offences that stand to jeopardize their spiritual walk. As they each attempt to overcome pesonal demons from their pasts, they realize they will need more than each other - they will need faith. The Atonement, is the third part of Lawrence Cherry's Commencement saga. The series follows a group of young African-Americans who learn about, life, love, and faith and how to live a good life in an increasingly immoral society.