In the northeastern Himalayas, at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga, in a crumbling isolated house, there lives a cantankerous old judge who wants nothing more than to retire in peace. But with the arrival of his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, and the son of his chatty cook trying to stay a step ahead of U.S. immigration, this is far from easy. When a Nepalese insurgency threatens the blossoming romance between Sai and her handsome tutor, they are forced to consider their colliding interests. And the judge must revisit his own journey and his role in a world of conflicting desires--every moment holding out the possibility of hope or betrayal.