Weakened, he is promised only months to live. When Western medicine leaves him without hope, botany professor Dr. Charles Douglas follows his past back to India in search of the only cure left to try. A lifetime ago, before his escape into the academic world, Charles built another life, one rich with intrigue, danger, and easy cash as part of the shadow world of Himalayan smugglers and pharmacists. Older but arguably wiser, he brings home the side of himself he'd left behind all those years before. A seemingly ordinary and charming man, his new quest leads him down all the blind alleys he was once wise enough to avoid. Except now, with the skills he's acquired, those blind alleys become a source of power he could never have imagined. Amid a flurry of corporate espionage, BDSM disciples, and terrorism, Charles sees his fortunes change. Can he rise again from his primordial self-or will he join the skeletons piling up in his closet?