From a lonely childhood spent in rural canada, idealistic ann morgan goes in search of her own identity as a young woman. in the mid-1950s she embarks on a trek that takes her to asia as an employee of unicef in bangkok and a british intelligence agency in singapore. her travels take her to thailand, india, burma, indonesia, south vietnam, borneo, malaya and other exotic locales, where she makes a contribution to reduce poverty and disease, as well as exposing subversive and illegal activities. ann's adventures include treating a child with yaws, uncovering a smuggling ring, communing with mt. kanchenjunga near mt. everest, and riding local transportation. they also include an episode with a cobra and a meeting with a "bandit" in the cambodian jungle. ann gains insights into asian culture, finds friendship, and in bangkok has a brief love affair with an american doctor. she gradually discovers that she is a strong and independent young woman. ann has found the rain for her roots. "with her painterly prose naomi takes us down crowded urban streets and into the jungle, introducing us to exotic lands and fascinating people as she weaves her magical tales."-lee freehling, librarian