A mysterious enchanted stone travels through time and space from the beginning of human life through to the end of the twentieth century, connecting history's tragic events from the perspective of the individual carrying the stone. Using spare, sparkling language, Peter Adolphsen demonstrates the profound coherence of human life ? and the inevitability of tragedy ? by following this stone around the planet. Each individual who comes to carry the stone, whether through gift, inheritance, or purchase, faces grave consequences. Through the telling of these individual stories, Adolphsen brings some sense to the grand arch of History.