It's the early 1980s. Even as President Suharto violently stifles dissent, the islands of Java and Bali are under the million-dollar development schemes of Western governments. Canadian veterinarian Abner Dueck wanted a mundane job. But when some cows die under mysterious circumstances, Dueck's life changes abruptly. Soon after, two of his friends are murdered. To unravel the mysterious deaths, Dueck must first understand the longshadow cast upon Indonesian life by the 1966 massacres; the complexities of their music; the demands and intrigues of love and conspiracy, death and mystery; and of course, the stories behind Indonesia's cultural heritage and personal identity.