Juniper witnesses the collapse of the San Luis Rey Bridge and the deaths of the five people who were on the bridge when it fell. This disturbs Brother Juniper greatly. He wonders if God intended this, or if it was merely a coincidence. In order to find out if it is coincidence or not, he gains as much information as possible on the five people who fell to their deaths on the bridge. He feels that if he can make a connection between all these people then he can figure out why God made this happen to them out of everyone in the world.

The five people on the bridge had several parallels in their lives. The two children, Don Jaime and Pepita, were both sent away by people who supposedly loved them. Camila sent her son Don Jaime away because she didn't have the money to pay her ex-friend Uncle Pio. So in exchange fo

If it was God's intention to have these people die, then the only reasons he would have would be loss of a loved one, being sent away from the people they loved, or finally being happy. It seemed as if once these unfortunate people became happy their lives were suddenly cut short. Maybe it is God's intention for everyone to find inner peace on earth. Once they find that inner peace maybe they are summoned to Heaven. On page 108, it states, "So he put everything down on the notion that if he reread the book twenty times, the countless facts would suddenly start to move, to assemble and to betray their secret." This means that Father Juniper never figured out if this tragedy was God's will or not. One would think that he did not succeed in his effort to puzzle out if this was an intention or a coincidence. No one can fully understand God, if there is one at all. As page 7 says, "Some will say that

Some common words found in the essay are:
Uncle Pio, Father Juniper, Rey Bridge, Maybe God's, Dona Clara, Dona Maria, Abbess Pepita, Jaime Pepita, Don Jaime, Jaime Lima, dona maria, uncle pio, san luis rey, five people, luis rey, don jaime, san luis, five people bridge, people bridge, god's intention, sent people, bridge san, bridge san luis,
Approximate Word count = 607
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)