A sleepy community on the Indian coast, Goa is a paradise for the international hippie brigade, drawn by the golden beaches and endless supply of cheap dope. Where there's drugs, of course, there's violence, but Goa is used to a certain manageable level of brutality, used to mellowing its impact in a haze of pot smoke. Lately, though, the ugliness has gotten worse. Professionals have moved in on the drug trade, and even the sweetest smoke can't cover the stink of corruption that's pouring from the highest levels of local government. George Sansi, the half-Indian/half-English cop from Bombay (who debuted in Season of the Monsoon), thinks he's seen about the worst the world can offer. But when he gets a call to help clean up Goa, he finds himself unprepared for the grimly dark side of paradise.