"This is the story of Yasodhara, the abandoned wife of the Buddha. Facing society's challenges, she transforms her rage into devotion to the path of liberation. Concealing her gender, she joins the monastic community and becomes the Buddha's closest confidant, known in the scriptures as Ananda. She/he is the one who persuades the Buddha to allow women to join the order and attains awakening just in time to guide the council in preserving the Buddha's...

"In the novel, Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, moves on again. Near despair, Siddhartha comes to a river where he hears a unique sound. This sound signals the true beginning of his life -- the beginning of suffering, rejection, peace, and, finally, wisdom." --