Staring debtor’s prison inthe eye, George Frederik Handel is depressed and suffering from variousillnesses. Faced with crushing verbal, intellectual, financial, and evenphysical opposition, he can go no longer. Adding to his woes, he’s a pawn inthe vicious political and cultural dispute between King George II and his sonFrederick, Prince of Wales.   Two encounters changeeverything—and alter music forever. Rejuvenated by a strange, revolutionarytext for an oratorio and an invitation to Dublin, Handel throws himself intothe new work, " Messiah" , completing it in only twenty-four days.   Vicious opponents still seekto destroy him and drive him out. Some in the church even rise to prevent "Messiah" from seeing the light of day, objecting to his decisions to hire a disgraced singerand perform in a secular location with secular performers.   These struggles to present " Messiah" mirror his own internal battles to understand, and eventually, revolutionize,his own beliefs. Through it all, Handel realizes that the music and the storyit portrays is bigger than him, bigger than any performance, bigger even thanthe King.