This dazzling epic describes an 11th century man's passion to defeat illness and death, to alleviate the pain of his fellowman and to share the near-mystical gift of healing that has been bestowed upon him. His journey leads him through the brutality and ignorance of England and the sensual turbulence and splendor of Persia. There he meets Avicena, a legendary master who is experimenting with the first tools of modern medicine. A millennium has elapsed since then, but the narrative talent of Noah Gordon makes this startling journey a unique experience which brings the story to life.