About This Book
Two themes dominate this narrative. The enigma of nudity illustrated in the title - the first recorded question in history - and a mandate to return the Gifts of the Magi to Eden.Guy Gerard, a young Australian student, agrees to model for a photographer with whom he shares a cabin on a shipboard film set. The nude work is innocent enough, but when the photographer wants to exhibit it in an international exhibition Guy questions its morality.His fellow student, Ichiro, confides that he has the mission to reclaim the casket containing the Magi's Gifts. Persuaded by Ichiro's unique and ethereal qualities, and mystical experiences of his own, Guy accepts the claim. As the deadline approaches frustration mounts, because no substantial clue as to the casket's whereabouts is forthcoming. Ichiro, however, explains that, "Providence will bring the Casket to light without the aid of human planning. Several people will have a participation in locating it," he says, "but their involvement will be mostly be unknown, either to themselves or to each other." It is this working of Providence, both in Guy's moral dilemma and the quest for the Magi's casket that is resolved in a riveting climax.
