In the aftermath of the Great War, a League of seekers sets off on a journey to the East. This merry band of artists, poets, musicians and storytellers travel across landscapes and millennia, every member in pursuit of a different goal. Yet all are united in their purpose - and in their vow to keep the Leagues essential mystery a secret. Initially a devoted follower of the League, the writer H.H. finds himself riven with doubt years later, when he comes to narrate their doings.

As he tries to describe their journey without betraying his vow, words, memories, and his very sense of self all seem to slip from his grasp.A kaleidoscopic narrative which reels between despair and elation, Hesses work was a major inspiration for travellers on the hippie trail of the 1960s and 70s. It remains a profound meditation on spiritual seeking and the act of creation, from one of the twentieth centurys great mystics.