Abby Frankel leaves her home in New York City after high school to get away from her society stepmother. After a brief time in San Francisco, she crosses the country back to the East. At The Roaring Lion Meditation Center she takes on the name Jaya and becomes the senior yoga instructor. Her beloved guru dies a decade later, leaving her lover, Narayan, to take over the center in his place. To Jaya he sends a cryptic note with her inheritance. Following the bread crumbs he's left in the form of Zen koans and quotes from The Buddha, she tries to fathom his intentions for her. Mystery surrounds not only his bequest but the lives of her new acquaintances. Yoga, Hindu legend and Buddhist philosophy create the background for Jaya's path and that of the colorful characters who come into her life.