After suffering two divorces and realizing that she was a poor judge of men, Linda Stevens decides to pursue a degree in anthropology. The research project she selects, -Pottery and Image Makers of India, -lands her in the town of Mala Nagar, where a holy man and a 10-year-old boy named Gopal enter the circle of her life. The holy man who has taken residence in a burned-out house on Prayer Hill, performs two miracles, -almost reluctantly, -that put the town on the regional map. Linda also befriends the filmmaker Venkat Raman, who decides to produce a documentary about the happenings on Prayer Hill. The holy man talks to Gopal and no one else, and has him participate in the miracles, which make the young boy everyone's darling in town. While capturing the special bond that exists between the holy man and Gopal, and between "Memsahib" Linda and Gopal, the story offers a window into the charms of Indian life, and points to the profound depths of religion and philosophy that underscore it. This is the first in a trilogy of novels.