This book is a spiritual autobiography in which Jeanne Guyon likens her life to a torrent making its way out of the high mountains down into the canyons and chasms of life, passing through many experiences until finally coming to the spiritual experience of death. From there the torrent experiences resurrection and a life lived in concert with the will of God while still going through many stages of refinement. At last the torrent finds its way into the vast, unlimited sea. Even here the torrent does not totally come to be one with the vast ocean until it has once more passed through final dealings by the Lord.

The reader will find this book to be the saga of one believer's journey with Christ. It does not serve as a pattern for any other life, but simply allows the reader to see how Guyon viewed the Lord's work in her life. Neverthless, this is one of the greatest books ever written on the subject of the cross as it works in the life of the believer.