In his book, Daniel Mason explores Edgar Drake's sojourn into the remote jungles of North East Burma after he is commissioned to go repair a piano belonging to Anthony, an army surgeon who using his rather unorthodox methods has succeeded in securing peace in one of the most important outposts in the Imperial Empire.

Daniel Mason uses an increasingly popular plot / story line where his protagonist is on an official journey to fulfill a commission while at the same time on a personal pilgrimage to rediscover himself. As Edgar leaves home, he knows that he is on no ordinary mission. Indeed, he knows that he is in a dangerous mission and may never come back home. He however proceeds since as he later comes to admit, he feels an inner emptiness that he has to try fill up.

Edgar travels upstream until he reaches Mandalay where he is...