This novel is mostly set in Nepal, but parts of it take place in Indonesia, India, Tibet, southern China, Albania, Bulgaria and at the Fargo home and research center on the California coast. The book starts with the Fargos finishing their work at Krakatoa, when they are requested by Texas oil baron Charley King togo to Nepal to find a friend of theirs who was hired by King to find his long-lost father. Once in Nepal the Fargos find little in their search that makes sense. While they get their friend's release, they find a trail of intrigue going back to the 1300s. As usual, they find themselves confronting dangerous adversaries