Three decades into Emperor Shah Jahan s reign, while the monarchindulges in the pleasures of the flesh to divert himself from the travails ofhis ageing body, the country is bracing itself for the brutal and inevitable war of succession to the Peacock Throne. At this time of tumult, Europeantravellers Niccolao Manucci and Francois Bernier arrive in India, and findtheir way into the innermost circles of the royals.While Manucci revels in his new-found fame as miracle healer to princessesand concubines, and Bernier records his cerebral interactions with theOmrah in the imperial court, they conjure up an enthralling panorama ofan empire in crisis. Little escapes their discerning eye fabled cities nowspinning into decay; harems rife with gossip, lust and venereal afflictions;wily courtiers whose hearts breed malice even as they enjoy the luxuriesof privilege; the tenuous ties that bind Hindu subjects to their Muslimrulers. And, most of all, the chief contenders to the throne of Hindustan:Dara Shikoh, the charismatic heir apparent with a predilection for diversespiritual beliefs, and his younger brother, the austere Aurangzeb, selfproclaimeddefender of the true Faith.