When Manu came into the world, the family astrologer told his mother that he was a boy gifted with extraordinary vision.

But he said no more, even though he could see that this boy would go far and wide-and that there was something unsettled about his life. He could also see that the boy was endowed with powers of looking into the past and into the future.

Some event would bring out Manus gift, but it was unclear when it would occur. Manu settles into living a normal life in rural India, navigating changing social attitudes and steady traditions.
As he gets older, he realizes that as the...