“We are all animals, Sophie, all of us. We think we are so smart—masters of ourdestinies, yes? We lie to ourselves that we have control. But if it does not rain, wedie of thirst. If it rains too much, we drown…”Everyone needs to discover his or her own special place in the world, but Sophiehas found it almost impossible. Late one night, in the tumbledown waiting roomof a derelict Cambodian train station, she meets a stranger who offers to changeher life.Having seen how fleeting and cruel life can be, Alex has found his own way todeal with its uncertainty. With the help of Marcus, his mentor, he has come tobelieve it is only through artificially imposed order and physical discipline thatone can find a semblance of serenity.Alex is certain he knows how to cure Sophie of her existential angst. But lurkingbeneath his altruism, does he have his own agenda?