Leslie Mardoff is a composer living in the present day. He is of quarter Native American ancestry. He travels to a remote desert cave with his producer Gilbert Griffith, seeking inspiration for a new musical composition. His motivation is creative, but he is also unknowingly drawn by a deeper connection to a past life. In the story, he represents one of the reincarnated souls of an ancient Mongol hunter named Bogud, whose love for a woman named Fayau has been guided across millennia by the spirit of a legendary red deer. Leslie’s role in the narrative is to experience a modern-day crisis that mirrors the ancient tragedy: an earthquake traps him underground after a cave-in kills Gilbert, and a tsunami nearly sweeps him away. He is rescued by Flora, a woman who bears the birthmark of the red deer and who has a premonition of the disaster. The key relationship in his present-day segment is with Flora, who saves him and is the reincarnation of Fayau. His bond with Gilbert is one of professional partnership, cut short by Gilbert’s death. The events force Leslie to confront a connection to a past that spans ten thousand years. As a composer, his notable ability is his musical talent, though the story focuses on his role in the reincarnation cycle rather than any supernatural power.