This is the heart wrenching story of Ani Pachen. It begins with her life as a young girl and as a young woman along with her hopes and dreams for the future. She is the pampered only child of a wealthy area leader. However, when her father dies she is obligated to take his place as leader, a role she feels little prepared to fill. Her hope had been for a quiet reflective life as a nun but instead she must replace her father as a leader to fight an invading Chinese army set upon capturing Tibet.

How can the peaceful Tibetan people with their primitive weapons oppose the modern Chinese invasion? They try but one by one, the leaders are captured. Ani Pachen is one of the few women recognized as a leader of the resistance. Following in the footsteps of her father, who led, organized and made plans to resist the Chinese, she finds herself suffering because of his activities as well as her own. Beatings, torture, and isolation occur daily. And she is moved from prison to prison. Food is scarce but what she has she shares with others and hard work occupies much of her time. Meanwhile, she wonders, has happened to her family?

This sad story is skillfully woven with Ani Pachen's religious beliefs and prayers as well as flashbacks to earlier and happier times. The reader finds two prayers that she utters throughout the book. One is "Om Mani Pene Hum" which gave her courage to endure. When she was captured and imprisoned another prayer became part of her devotions: "Blessed Lord Buddha, give me the suffering of all sentient beings. I will bear them as my own." Meanwhile the world ignored the invasion of this beautiful country and the rape and obliteration of its culture. Because I knew little about the events in Tibet during this period I found the book a thought provoking read. Ani Pachen was an inspiration to her people and I believe that she becomes one to those who read her story.

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