An accident at sea cuts short John Eyre's career as an oil rig diver and his romance with Rachel. A damaged John roams Central America, undergoing one transformation after another, until his consciousness is hijacked by a local trickster god. When a mask containing the god is stolen and the people ask John to find their protective spirit, he embarks on the riskiest of adventures. His allies are a reluctant Rachel, fellow lodgers from a London guest house, and a Guatemalan girl with a unique jade ball. novel ~ 550 pages