There was a tiny island in the Far East populated by tall, gifted people plagued by malignant ideology and ruled by merciless leaders. However, a noble few were dedicated to peacefully rescuing their people from tyranny and death. Dr. Solomon Jekavpils reads about this unfamiliar place in the diary of the late pianist Adelaide Fourangier. Meanwhile, Solomon's former classmate, Nelly, manipulates him to search for Illirio Mariafels, her lost love. The story spans entire lifetimes in pre-war France, French Saigon, the island, and Paris in the late twentieth century; the diary reveals many...