IN ANCIENT INDIA, tragedy strikes a young elephant trainer. Forced into a slave caravan that takes him through perilous lands and into a world at war, Ashoka befriends a special elephant. In a time of constant danger and uncertainty, he finds beauty and kindness when he becomes enchanted by a forbidden tanner's daughter and must help others enslaved for the pleasure of ruthless rulers. To survive this remarkable journey, the elephant trainer calls upon his unique ways with the great greys and a strength known only to those with nothing to lose. "In Berger's epic historical fiction, a young elephant driver from India fights in Hannibal's army as it marches toward Rome . . . . "A highly entertaining, sophisticated look at the Second Punic War through the eyes of an unlikely hero."-Kirkus Reviews "Berger's unpretentious prose weaves a brilliant tale of heroism and cowardice, love and heartache through the special relationship between a glorious animal and its trainer."--Sharon Robards, A Woman Transported