Davis Lane is a freelance theologian who, in a secular age, doesn't get a lot of work. Until, that is, he receives a mysterious invitation to go to Inchcolm with its ruined medieval abbey in Scotland's Firth of Forth. It's there that Alexander Morton, American property tycoon, is hatching plans to build the world's holiest golf course along with a hotel and casino. An enigmatic lady in trilby and tweed commissions Lane to research the island and its abbey in order to advise the parties affected by this extravagant development. The commission dredges up painful memories of a recent encounter with the CIA.

The research is intriguing, drawing Lane into a fascinating maelstrom of history and legend. He discovers that the chill waters of the Forth not only host seabirds and seals, but also the coffin of the man who was supposed to be buried within the abbey. The Augustinian canons of the abbey may have been devoted to peace and love, but they turn out to be anything but meek and mild. Despite misgivings, Lane is impressed by the plans of the tycoon and also by his beautiful daughter. The proposed development,however, sparks off angry demonstrations, resulting in a death threat.

Set in the Forth estuary and moving between Edinburgh and Fife, The Battle of Inchcolm Abbey is a work of fiction carefully woven around history and legend. The central character of this theological novel attempts to depict authentic faith and ethics in a secular and morally complex world.