Dr. Heitor Nunes, a Portuguese Jewish physician, desperately desires to be accepted by the economic and social leadership in London. In order to attain these goals, he is willing to sacrifice the faith of his ancestors and culture by converting to Protestantism. His life story sends a painful message to people of all faiths throughout history.

Charles Meyers' first work of historical fiction, Escape, was based on the life of a real man, Dr. Heitor Nunes, a Portuguese physician, who flees to England in approximately 1545/6. It depicted the Inquisitional interrogation and journey through an underground network that aided Jews to escape the burning pyres awaiting them.

Painful Passage is the second novel in a projected trilogy.

"Charles Meyers' new novel is a frightening depiction of the persecution of Jews in Portugal during the Inquistion. Heitor Nunes, the principal character, is truly an extraordinary man at once terrifying and heroic as he recommits himself to the faith of his ancesters."
-Dr. Beer Prof Emeritus of History, Kent State University