In Balapasar (a fictional nation near Indonesia), nationalist forces begin a civil war in order to end foreign influences. The American ambassador and his family (Raymond Weston, wife Ellen, and their children, Connie [17] and Jerry [16]) must flee. Traveling a dangerous route through the rain forest, the Westons are separated. Unable to leave the country, they accept a new goal presented by the White Monks, who began the war: the magnificent Temple City at the nation's center.

Though Connie is considered the reincarnation of a 19th century Chinese woman who ended the first war, the first “Blessed Fem” succeeded by killing herself, and Connie is expected to follow history. She travels with murderous nomads who are convinced Connie will reveal their great blessing in life. Utilizing her modern sensibilities in a primitive land, Connie survives dynamite and spear attacks, whip thrashings, and burial to her neck in guano. She proves her spirit by helping native clans cure their sick children, bury their dead elders in trees, and by performing as a truthsayer.

In the end, surrounded by nomads, monks, and her reunited family, Connie is due to end the war via suicide. Interrogated as the Truthsayer, she must answer the nation’s questions of deadly history and future peace. If Connie cannot learn how to make the modern world, her world will end.