Restless young American doctor Gordon King ignores his Cambodian guide's warnings and plunges alone into the jungle near Angkor, driven by curiosity, ambition, and a fascination with the lost Khmer civilization. What begins as a confident exploration becomes a brutal test of endurance as heat, exhaustion, thirst, and the menace of tigers and wild elephants close in around him. Lost, armed, and increasingly uncertain, King stumbles across hidden ruins, carved stones, and a sacred temple chamber, where danger and discovery seem inseparable. In the solitude of the night, memories of Susan Anne Prentice offer brief comfort before the wilderness and the ancient shrine's mysteries tighten their grip. From that eerie refuge, the adventure erupts into open peril: King confronts the Leper King Lodivarman, allies with the courageous Fou-tan, and helps her escape in disguise. Together they slip through secret passages, outwit a suspicious guard, and flee the city of Lodidhapura by improvised means, then vanish into the jungle beneath the stars. Pursued by enemies on horseback and elephant, they must trust secrecy, nerve, and each other to survive the dark wilderness ahead. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.