Mary Barnett blames her miserable existence on her obnoxious cousin Elise, including her own failure to know God. Steeping herself in the past, believing in it an answer to all her problems, she enthusiastically volunteers as a tour guide through an historical manor, only to find her love of history and her problems converge in a frightening and unexpected way. In an unpredictable answer to prayer, Mary is transported in time to 1869 to the small town of Cobbs' Landing, miles from nowhere. The past is not what she expected. Her former life was hard. This one is even harder and the God she wishes to know is no babysitter. None of her eighteen years of knowledge is relevant. The people are blunt and strong natured. No one excuses her misdeeds; the responsibility is placed squarely on her shoulders. The Timeless Present is the story of Mary's journey to knowing God.