The Testament

John Grisham’s The Testament (1999) is part legal suspense thriller, part adventure story. It begins with the suicide of an elderly billionaire, Troy Phelan. After he leaves his inheritance to an unknown daughter, Rachel, a missionary somewhere in Brazil’s wetlands, his remaining children and their greedy lawyers wage a battle over his inheritance. Meanwhile, Nate O’Riley, a jaded litigator with an alcohol addiction, is sent to track down Rachel, almost losing his life but ultimately finding his purpose.

Grisham began his career as a lawyer before turning to writing. He has written more than 50 books, primarily in the legal suspense genre, 46 of which were consecutive bestsellers in the number one spot. Some of Grisham's works include The Reckoning (2018), The Boys from Biloxi (2022), and Sparring Partners (2022).

This guide refers to the Kindle edition.

Content Warning: The source text includes discussion of sexual exploitation, alcoholism, suicide, and racism against Black and Indigenous people. The guide quotes Grisham’s use of the term “Indian” when referring to Indigenous people.

Plot Summary

Nearing 80, reclusive eccentric Troy Phelan has amassed a financial empire and can indulge his every whim, but he has no one to share it with and no reason to go on living. He despises his three ex-wives and six children. They are obsessed with his money, and he is obsessed with making sure that they do not receive it.

He summons his family to witness him, via closed-circuit television, sign a new will that leaves them his fortune. With everyone watching on different floors of his building in Washington, DC, Phelan signs the will. No one notices until much later that he signed it “Mickey Mouse.” After his elated family members exit the building, Phelan removes from his robe a handwritten testament which revokes his previous wills and signs it on camera. He then leaps up from his wheelchair and throws himself off the balcony.

Phelan referred to his family members as vultures circling their prey, and they meet his expectations. They immediately begin spending the money that they have not yet received, unaware that the new will leaves them only enough money to pay their debts as of the day Phelan died. Phelan stipulated that the will be kept secret for one month to give his children time to rack up more debts. His sole beneficiary is Rachel Lane, a daughter whom no one knew he had—even his closest confidant, his lawyer, Josh Stafford.

After Troy’s death, the narrative shifts between two main storylines. One revolves around the Phelan children’s attempt to secure their father’s fortune, the other around Josh’s effort to find 42-year-old Rachel Lane in Brazil. Rachel is the product of a brief affair between Phelan and her mother, whom he abandoned after arranging for Rachel’s adoption and who later died by suicide. Phelan had somehow traced her to the wetlands of Brazil’s Pantanal, where she is a doctor and Christian missionary for World Tribes. Josh decides to send Nate O’Riley, a disgraced former associate of his firm, to find her. Nate is currently in a drug-and-alcohol-rehabilitation facility and facing problems with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). With his life in shambles and the holidays approaching, the trip appeals to him as an escape.

Nate lands in Corumbá, Brazil, just before Christmas and is looked after by Valdir Ruiz, a local lawyer, and Jevy, a good-natured 24-year-old river guide. Though the trip to find Rachel will have to be taken by boat on Christmas Eve, Nate persuades a reluctant Cessna pilot, Milton, to take him and Jevy on a flyover of the Pantanal. A strong storm surprises them, forcing the plane to crash on an isolated farm. While Jevy, Milton, and the farm owner talk, Nate makes friends with the farmer’s children, noting the simplicity of their lives. Jevy’s old military friends send a rescue helicopter, enabling Jevy, Milton, and Nate to return to Corumbá. Ruiz secures a boat, the Santa Loura, for the river journey. Wrestling with his loneliness and self-recrimination, Nate succumbs to his craving for alcohol and misses his morning appointment to set off. Jevy tracks him down and helps him get to the Santa Loura so that they can begin their search.

Back in Virginia, a month after Phelan’s death, his remaining children attend a reading of his will and are devastated to learn that he left his fortune to an unknown daughter. They have already incurred many more debts, and the will’s terms stipulate that they only receive the money if they do not contest the will. With no choice but to contest, the spurned heirs immediately begin hiring lawyers. Meanwhile, Josh is committed to honoring Phelan’s request to protect his empire from his children’s greed and waste.

Back in Brazil, Nate, Jevy, and his assistant, Welly, face obstacles of their own. A powerful storm damages the boat, which Jevy and Welly work to repair. However, Nate also experiences exhilaration on the river, dressed down and drinking sweet coffee with nowhere to be but exactly where he is. The Santa Loura is too large for the narrow rivers that lead to the settlements of Indigenous people where Rachel is believed to be. Jevy and Nate switch to a smaller boat, leaving Welly to watch over the Santa Loura. When they become lost in the maze of tributaries, locals help them to find their way, finally leading them to Rachel, who is living among the Ipicas (a fictional tribe).

Rachel rejects the inheritance and the documents that Nate is hoping she will sign. She has lived among the Ipicas for 11 years, ministering to their bodies and spirits, and her mission has filled her with complete peace and contentment. She has no desire to change anything. Nate explains how destructive it would be for Phelan’s other children to inherit their money. She promises to pray for them. Nate admires her strength and commitment, and he opens up to her about his troubles. She inspires him to seek a connection with God, and he leaves her knowing that he needs to find purpose in his life. He also leaves the papers behind, hoping that she will change her mind and sign them. On the journey back to Corumbá, Nate contracts dengue fever and, in his delirium, believes that Rachel is by his side. After he recovers, he learns that no one has seen Rachel.

Returning to the United States, Nate stays at Josh’s home in Maryland. Drawn to a church, he makes friends with the priest, Father Phil Lancaster, who becomes Nate’s spiritual mentor. Although Nate is ready to walk away from the legal profession, he agrees to defend Rachel’s interests in legal proceedings contesting Troy’s will. During pre-trial depositions, Nate questions Phelan’s children and servant, Snead, who is being paid by the family to provide false testimony that helps their case. With no case to move forward with, the family’s lawyer pushes for a settlement. Nate, who feels compassion for the children despite their shortcomings, agrees to a settlement of $50 million per heir, leaving the vast remainder to Rachel.

Like Phelan, Nate is estranged from his ex-wives and children. Feeling moved to make amends for his failures, he travels across the country to reconnect with his children. He then travels back to Brazil to attempt to persuade Rachel to accept his idea for a trust only to discover that she has died of malaria. Before her death, though, she prepared a will requesting that her inherited fortune be put in trust to benefit World Tribe Missions.