A young German singer on a concert tour in Japan discovers Zen Buddhism. After many years of meditation practice and arduous effort, she finally attains enlightenment-that's when her troubles begin. Her tumultuous life and an odyssey through spiritual disciplines force her to confront and doubt everything she has been taught and believed about this special state of consciousness beyond words. She is compelled to ask: What is enlightenment when the religious context is stripped away? How helpful is a mind state that is devoid of all emotion? How does it fit with the equally real experience of...