Julian Papp found redemption in the game of chess, a kind of intellectual redemption that helped offset the shame and ridicule he often faced as an albino. With his unique ability to achieve a state of perfect concentration, Julian was an awesome prodigy--until, that is, he suffered his first epileptic seizure. Suddenly stripped of his chess-playing prowess, Julian attempts suicide, and finds himself at St. Francis Sanatorium, an institution run by an order of nuns. It is here that he meets Marcy--an enigma to those trying to help her, an adolescent who has blotted all memory of an undisclosed past. When put under hypnosis, in an effort to reclaim her lost identity, the young girl seeks the protection of an aged wood-carver, The Miniature Man, who offers her hints about events she has repressed. He also suggests that Julian may hold a key. Julian thus begins his most significant game, one in which both he and Marcy will learn much about themselves--and about the unavoidable pain of being human.