San Francisco socialite Bibi Chen has planned the ultimate vacation along the notorious Burma Road for a group of her dearest friends. But after her mysterious death, Bibi is forced to watch from the spirit world as the eleven travelers bumble through their adventures. Determined to make the best of it, the pleasure seekers embark on a trail paved with uncertainty, questionable food, and tribal curses. And then, on Christmas morning, they cruise across a misty lake-and vanish,Colored with picaresque characters and haunting imagery, this mesmerizing tale is about the actions we choose, the moral questions we might ask ourselves, and, above all, the deeply personal answers we seek when happy endings seem far out of reach.

Amy Tan is the author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, and two children's books, The Moon Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat, which has been adapted as Sagwa, a PBS series for children. Tan was also the co-producer and co-screenwriter of the film The Joy Luck Club, and her essays and stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Her work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. Tan, who has a master degree in lingustics from San Jose University, has worked as a language specialist to programs serving children with developmental disabilities. She lives with her husband in San Francisco and New York.