The ill-fated Sita is now the prisoner of Ravana, king of rakshasas. To win her back, Rama and his loyal vanar friend Hanuman have assembled a vast army. Desperate, and using only their wits and bare hands, they must build a rock bridge across the ocean to Lanka. Even as they toil, Sita is sentenced to death by her captors. Her only hope now lies with Hanuman. Meanwhile, Hanuman discovers the shocking secret of his true identity, and his faith in Rama triggers extraordinary new powers. He is quickly dispatched to Lanka, to the homeland of the rakshasa demon race, in one final attempt to rescue Rama's beloved and to prevent a terrible, tragic war.

The original Ramayana--a classic tale of war between absolute Good and Evil--was written c. 2000 B.C. by a reformed thief-turned-sage named Valmiki. Now, with breathtaking imagination, Indian novelist Ashok K. Banker has recreated this epic tale of magic and intrigue for modern readers everywhere.