A revered effigy of the god Shiva is missing from the Patna Hall Hotel on south India's exquisite Coromandel coast. Was it stolen & to whom does it belong? Young lawyer Michael Dean sent from London to argue the case for the defence falls under the spell of Artemis a graceful archaeologist who is staying at the hotel; but she proves as elusive as the mystery of the theft he is working on. Rumer Godden's classic novel is a magical evocative exploration of art love class & greed in her beloved India.