Min Thein, a lawyer in a provincial town in Burma, has struggled to avoid confrontation with its military regime. But when he incurs the wrath of the district commander, he is shadowed, intimidated, and thwarted - he loses his country, his wife and his sight. In this gripping novel, harrowing descriptions of the fate of Burma's political prisoners blend with Buddhist myth, lyrical descriptions of the land and memories of a carefree childhood.