The Weeping Goldsmith: Discoveries in the Secret Land of Myanmar relates how W. John Kress came to appreciate the people and culture of Myanmar through an understanding of their plants, natural habitats, and human-dominated environments. Intertwined with descriptions of the author’s personal experiences and observations are notes on the history, culture, and modern society in Burma. Included are excerpts from his journals written while in the field, which serve as counterpoints to the accounts of earlier plant explorers who visited these places a century ago. The Weeping Goldsmith is a delicate white and yellow-gold flower that defied replication even by an experienced goldsmith, according to legend. By the end of his journey the author grew to understand how politics could interfere with scientific research, leading the author to empathize with the sorrowful goldsmith.