Thirteen year old Theo is hiding in the woods due to the destruction of his father's mission. His father is dead. Theo is on escaping from the Chinese rebels of the Boxer uprising. Mrs Jones, a botanist takes Theo with her. There are bandits that are attacking them when a Buddhist monk stops it. The monk has been looking fort heir spiritual master Tulku to lead them. He insists that Theo is that person or maybe Mrs. Jones unborn baby. Theo has a conflict with his Christian belief and Buddhism belief. Will he be able to resolve this?

The author writes a historical novel that is also about religious beliefs. It's a fascinating novel. Many incidents occur that surprise Theo. He must make sense of this and stand on his own two feet.