The Narrator

The narrator is a middle-aged man, who is no longer satisfied with his life. The narrator, a character who is not named throughout the novel, is an educated man who has spent his adult life working with emotionally-damaged teens. However, when the narrator becomes aware that he is not helping these children the way he wants to, he quits and goes to live at his lake home. The home was built by his grandfather and was a special retreat for the grandfather.

Shortly after moving to the lake, the narrator receives a call from a female friend he has not seen or heard from in over six years. This woman tells him about a manuscript in Peru that is about a path to spiritual enlightenment, which the narrator has not encountered before. The Peruvian government refuses to acknowledge this manuscript, making the search for the manuscript a...