First novel by the noted poet, author of Sand (Green Integer), which intertwines two stories: one of a monk lured to an isolated island, the other of a contemporary man who imagines himself imprisoned on an unknown island, but later discovers a real paradise where hope is restored. Both stories represent kinds of imprisonment and torture, the first based on historical events, the second on psychological confusion of the character. What Phillips ultimately reveals is that beyond horror and despair there is always the hope of redemption.