Prologue

Three old friends have met at the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. These men were friends at Oxford College. The narrator recalls their earlier year sand how much more they had in common then. Towards the end of this meeting a man named Sanders, a pilot, joined the men. Wyland and Sanders knew one another and began talking. The subject of Baskul came up when Rutherford became interested. The talked about a hijacked plane. Sanders said that all the passengers on the plane were killed. One of the passengers was Conway, who went to school with Rutherford. The government was very hush-hush about the plane incident. They return to a hotel and talk more about Conway. Rutherford reveals that he knows Conway is still alive. He had traveled with him on an ocean-liner to Honolulu. Rutherford had found Conway at a hospital with amnesia. He took Conway with him on a ship. On the ship was a concert pianist, Sieveking, who was to play Chopin music in the U.S. After he plays Conway is impelled to play a very fast song. This was an unpublished work by Chopin. How could have Conway learned how to play an unpublished work by Chopin? Conway’s memory is restored the next day. The story Conway told Rutherford appealed to him so he wrote notes over what Conway said. Rutherford took out a typed manuscript. He took the manuscript and read it when he went to find Rutherford the only address for him for several months would be "east".

Four passengers entered a plane: Miss Roberta Brinklow, Henry D. Barnard, Hugh Conway, and Captain Charles Mallinson. Conway is very handsome. Mallinson notices that the pilot is not keeping a straight course. The pilot was not Fenner as it should be. Conway was not married. Mallinson finds that out the window is not the area expected to see, he sees mountains. The pilot lands in small cleared space beside a gully. Tribesmen surrounded the plane. The only one allowed to leave the plane is the pilot. The tribesmen would not communicate with Conway. The plane was refueled. They take-off again and head east. The passengers thought they were being kidnapped for ransom. Conway has gathered every scrap of paper and begins to write in several languages SOS messages to be dropped at different intervals. Conway found that he was not a person who loved danger for its own sake. Miss Brinklow had virtues that they would soon find helpful. The pilot appeared to be an ex pert. Conway went to the cockpit to try and talk the pilot the only response he received was a gun in his face. Conway had a love of quietness, contemplation, and being alone. Conway notices a slight dizziness, heart thumping, and he inhaled sharply and with effort. These same symptoms had occurred in the Swiss Alps. He saw a mountain range that even he admired.

The passengers awaken one by one. Where could they be at? Maybe they are in some part of India. Why have they been taken? Mallinson says that the pilot has to be a lunatic and there is no reason for their kidnapping. Miss Brinklow says it must be the will of God. The pilot tried to land and did a tailslide they would never leave. Mallinson said he was going to tackle the pilot. He took the pilot’s gun who seemed to be either dead or ill. He was taken from his seat and he was unconscious, not dead. They put the pilot in the cabin and poured brandy in his mouth. Mallinson begins to act crazy. Conway suggests they carry the pilot into the sunlight to try and bring him back to consciousness. The pilot begins to talk they have landed in Tibet and are to go to nearby Shangri-La. The pilot dies without explaining why they were kidnapped. Mallinson says they should not go to Shangri-La because they would be murdered. Barnard and Brinklow think they should go. Conway tells Mallinson that the place is probably not Buddhist so they would not be killed and they would be taken to civilization. They begin to walk they take the only passage through the mountains. Shortly after that they see a group of men down the slope.

Conway refuses to make any decisions about what he might or might not do. The group of men were a party of about a dozen and were carrying a hooded chair. The blue robed Chinese figure in the chair stepped down and approached them. The figure said in English that his name was Chang from Shangri-La. Conway introduces all of the passengers. Mallinson says that their stay will not be long and that intend to return to civilization. Chang asks how he knows that he is away from civilization. Mallinson keeps saying that he wants to leave this place and return to his own civilization. They were offered wine and fruit. The name of the mountain Conway had been admiring was Karakal and is over twenty-eight thousand feet high. The journey to Shangri-La began. They began to slowly climb. Each person had to breathe consciously and deliberately. Conway was puzzled over the sensation. The mountain became steeper and harder to climb. Conway felt it was impossible to go any further. Barnard and Mallinson were both suffering severely which led to delay. They would now have to rope climb. Conway suggests that they would never have found the path by themselves. Mallinson was terrified. Mallinson says that it will be an appalling job to return to civilization from the way they just came. Conway and Mallinson believe the entire situation so far to be nightmarish. Suddenly the ground leveled, they stepped out of the mist, and they see for the first time Shangri-La. Conway merged into a deep sensation of half mystical, half visual, of having reached at last some place that was an end, a finality. Chang had left the hooded chair and was leading them through antechambers. He shows them their apartments and invites them to eat dinner with him. Conway was the only person to reply. Mallinson exclaims that after dinner they would make plans for getting away.

They were less barbarian then the passengers expected. Conway had experienced a bath before dinner and was dressed in Chinese clothes. Conway felt at home with the Chinese customs after living with them for ten years. Conway felt a comfort of mind and body. Conway does not understand Chang. Brinklow asks questions about Shangri-La which raises Chang’s eyebrow. Their are fifty lamas in the lamasery. Brinklow tries to debate with Chang about believing in one religion only but Conway stops the debate. Chang says that Shangri-La believes mostly in moderation even in virtue. Mallinson says that they want to leave to return to their loved ones. He asks to be given porters to direst them out of Shangri-La. Chang says he is not the person to be approached with such a question. Conway suggests they go to bed. He talks to Chang alone. Chang must have known about their arrival before they even arrived. Conway kind of likes Shangri-La and the thought of staying there for awhile does not completely bother him. Conway after studying the mountain Karakal learns that it means Blue Moon. Mallinson is disappointed when Conway does not assert himself. After breakfast Chang appears Mallinson reminds him that they want porters right away. No men were available who would go that far. What can be done so that they can leave? Shangri-La receives its water from a group of porters and they are due to come sometime in the future. Maybe they could take the passengers back to civilization but it could be as long as two months before they arrive. Mallinson throws a fit and Conway has to restrain him from hitting the Chinese. Chang quietly leaves.

The passengers discuss being stuck in Shangri-La for two months. Conway has no one that will worry over him for the two months and there is someone else who can do his job. Mallinson had his parents and a girl in England. Barnard said that the folks in his home town wouldn’t even bat an eye. Brinklow said that two months would be nothing and that the Lord had sent her there. Barnard is curious about were the people get the money for the things they have. Chang entered and offers a tour of the lamasery which the group accepts. Conway found Chang an old man of high intelligence. Mallinson regards him through the bars of an imaginary cage. Brinklow treats him as a heathen and Barnard treats him as one might treat his butler. During the tour they all notice works of fine art with lots of taste and beauty. At the library they find books and rare volumes in several different languages of the great literary books. Mallinson finds a map of the country at the library and Chang tells him that Shangri-La is not on any map. Brinklow inquires about what lamas do. Chang replies that they devote themselves to contemplation and the pursuit of wisdom. Brinklow says that that is not doing anything. Chang says then they do nothing. Chang leads them to a courtyard where tea is served. At an open pavilion there is a harpsichord and a piano much to Conway’s delight. Barnard wondered how they got the piano to Shangri-La and Chang tells him the only way would be the way they came. While they are discussing western music a Chinese girl enters and plays a song on the harpsichord. Her name is Lo-Tsen she is not yet a lama. Brinklow cannot believe that there is no sex distinction among lamas. After dinner that night Conway takes a stroll in the courtyard. He hears voices. two people are talking about the pilot who was killed during the hijacking. His name was Talu and had lived in the valley. Conway thinks that they have been brought here by orders of the lamas. He would not tell the others his discovery.

At the end of their first week everyone was getting used to life in Shangri-La. They had become acclimatized to the high atmosphere. They had even learned alot about one another. Chang was tirelessly trying to smooth over the rough spots. He conducted excursions, recommended books, and filled in the silence with conversation. Barnard complains that there is no newspaper and Chang tells him that they have files of The Times up to a few years ago. They took a trip to the valley in bamboo chairs. It was an enclosed paradise of fertility. Unusual crops grew with what seemed to not an inch of ground untended. The people seem to be a combination of Tibetan and Chinese. The valley only seems to be twelve miles long and five miles wide. Brinklow says everything looked well on the surface and was relieved to find the natives completely clothed. She discovers that there are Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist temples in the valley when she gets back she will send a missionary here. Brinklow borrowed a book from Chang and begins to learn the Tibetan language. Conway found use in the library and music room. The books were mostly Catholic. Chang said nothing of importance could have happened that couldn’t have been predicted years before. Chang couldn’t say the last time they had had visitors. Conway sometimes saw Lo-Tsen but she doesn’t know any English and he is unwilling to disclose his own Chinese. Mallinson wonders why a pretty woman like Lo-Tsen would spend her time at the lamasery. Mallinson and Conway argue about her and Mallinson says Conway is cynical of women. Conway says that Chang is between forty-nine and a hundred and forty-nine. Conway while talking to Chang discovers that the lamas believe in governing very little. Chang finds Barnard’s wallet and gives it to Mallinson who goes through it. Mallinson discovers that Barnard is actually Chalmers Bryant, a swindler wanted in several countries. He returns the wallet and tells Conway what he has discovered. They argue about what to do. Conway wants to leave him alone. Barnard had a run of bad luck at the stock market he had lost about a hundred million dollars. He had been monkeying on Wall Street and had a warrant released for his arrest. Barnard at dinner asks if everyone knows who he is. He tries to play down the statement because Brinklow doesn’t know what he is talking about. Chang interrupts the Conway’s reflections with a message for him. The High Lama had made a decision and wished to see him. Such a thing has never happened so soon before. He will understand lots of things in a while. They set off.

Conway is led through strange courtyards and up a spiral staircase before they reach the High Lama’s apartment. The room is dark and humid. The High Lama is a little old man in Chinese clothes. The High Lama spoke in perfect English. Tea is brought in for the couple. Conway put the bowl to his lips and tasted. After the ritual the story of Shangri-La began. In 1719, four Capuchin friars set out to search for any remnants of the Nestorian faith that may be surviving in the hinterland. While traveling three friars died and nearly dead the fourth stumbled into the valley of Blue Moon. Here he was greeted by natives who helped nurse him back to health. Once well he began to teach the Buddhist people Christianity. He would convert the lamasery into a Christian monastery. The friar’s name was Perrault and was from Luxembourg. He was a scholar, fond of music and arts and was good at languages. The first years the man would work with his hands. He liked to eat the tangatse berry which contributes to slowing down the aging process. Perrault attempted to contact the outside world but not until 1769 did he receive a reply which asked him to come to Rome. Because of age he could not travel. At ninety-eight he took up studying Buddhist writings, at one hundred he took up yoga, at one hundred and eighty he fell ill lapsed into a coma and seemed to be dying. He had a vision which enabled him to recover. He began a program of rigorous self-discipline, combined with drug-taking and deep-breathing exercises. He was still alive in 1794. he could learn things with greater ease than he could when he was younger. He had become a god to the people in the village. He also knew telepathy. A young Austrian named Henschell arrived who wanted to get rich and return to Europe. A deep bond developed between Perrault and Henschell and he stayed. He developed the communication process from Shangri-La to the outside world. Strangers were then attracted to the valley of Blue Moon. Before Henschell could finish his work he was killed by an Englishman. The chapter ends with Conway finding out that the High Lama is no other than Perrault.

Chapter Eight

After a long pause the High Lama tells Conway the proviso for his stay as well as the others is that they cannot leave. Since World War I and the Russian Revolution very few people have arrived in Shangri-La most of these people were Orientals or Tibetans who adapt poorly to the slow aging process. A native Talu agreed to leave Shangri-La and learn how to fly at an American flying school. Hereby he could kidnap suitable people to come to Shangri-La. His choice of Conway and the others was pure accident. the High Lama then outlines many types of activities for the future that Conway will have time to engage in. He will be able to enjoy his new friends, to follow pursuits of the mind, to study, to read, listen to music and enjoy solitude and contemplation. Because of the practice of moderation Perrault was able to learn ten languages but if he had pushed himself could’ve learned twenty. Conway was passionless. Man seems determined to destroy the world and everything beautiful. The idea of Shangri-La is to preserve the best creations of man for the best men to see and guard over. Conway kneels and at last took his leave. He was in a dream world he did not emerge from until much later. He nor Chang spoke on the return and were glad everyone else was asleep.

At breakfast Mallinson asked if the High Lama said anything about porters. Brinklow wanted to know about her missionary. Barnard asked what he found out about Shangri-La itself. Conway avoided giving any answers. Mallinson wonders if Conway or the High Lama can be trusted. He also asks how Lo-Tsen got to Shangri-La. Conway refuses to discuss it. When Chang speaks to Conway he is much more open than before. Chang had once been a soldier and came to the valley in 1855, he was ninety-seven years old. A person who leaves the valley will die in about two weeks. Conway would remain forty years old for fifty years. Eventually he would be initiated into lamahood. Conway meets ther lamas. First he meets Meister, then Alphonse Briac who was a student of Chopin. Conway asks Chang about Lo-Tsen. She was once a Manchu princess and engaged to the prince of Turkestan. On a trip her escorts lost their way and stumbled into the valley of Blue Moon. She at first did not want to stay and even at the age of sixty-five hasn’t made the transition. The next meeting with the High Lama will probably be at the end of the five years. However a month later he is summoned to see him. The heated atmosphere of his room was necessary for bodily existence. The difference in age now seems unimportant. The discussion is about the other three. Mallinson is the only one he is concerned with Conway says he likes him very much.

Chang cannot believe that Conway had had a second meeting with the High Lama already. Conway was overcome with the High Lama’s great intelligence. Conway says the reason he is mature beyond his years is because of the exhaustion’s of the war. This condition is part of the doctrine for Shangri-La. Conway slowly falls into the trance of the valley of Blue Moon and is falling in love with Lo-Tsen. He realizes the quality of appreciation for Lo-Tsen and decides he is happy to wait. Barnard has decided to stay on as long as he was welcome. Brinklow says she will stay on because she must have been sent here for a reason. Mallinson still plans on leaving and thinks Conway is going with him. He tells Conway that he is interested in Lo-Tsen if he spoke her language they would reach an understanding. Conway advises to not to worry about Lo-Tsen. The porters will be unable to take Mallinson back this time if he tried to leave by himself he would be forced to return because of the climate. Conway asks about Shangri-La’s attitude toward love. Chang says that after a while passion will disappear and be replaced with deeper attachments of the mind more rewarding and lasting. Chang knows Conway is in love with Lo-Tsen and thinks it is good. She has helped many young men help adjust to Shangri-La. Conway has never been so happy he can manage the most difficult tasks and still be happy. Barnard wants to discover the gold in the valley and shows Chang how to increase the output. Conway and the High Lama talk often and he enjoys conversation for the sake of conversation. They focus some discussions on Mallinson. The High Lama says that he will be Conway’s problem. The time has come for the High Lama to die and the leadership of Shangri-La will be placed in Conway’s hands. The High Lama tells Conway of a vision he had of a coming storm Conway must preserve the Valley of Blue Moon as an oasis of wisdom and beauty even through the storm. The High Lama quietly dies. Conway finds himself in a trance-like state being led away quickly by Mallinson.

Mallinson very excited pulls Conway into the dining room. The porters are camped five miles outside of Shangri-La and wants to leave as soon as possible. He is glad he will never have anything to do with the High Lama again. Lo-Tsen has helped make the arrangements so he is sure that the porters will help. Lo-Tsen is actually going with Mallinson. Conway tries to persuade Mallinson not to take Lo-Tsen. Mallinson soon returns in a hysterical state he didn’t have the nerve to cross the pass by himself. He begs Conway for help not for him but for Lo-Tsen. The two argue over the truth about the aging process. Mallinson thinks Conway is raving mad and even Conway begins to have doubts. Conway can offer no proof to the story. Mallinson then offers the theory that Conway believed the story because he wanted to. Conway asks Mallinson if he loves Lo-Tsen. He admits that he does and they have been seeing a great deal of each other. The news shatters Conway and he agrees to go with them. They leave Shangri-La without interference. Lo-Tsen is waiting with the porters for them. Her smile for Mallinson is radiant.  

The narrator met Rutherford in Delhi. The two discuss the manuscript which the neurologist had just finished reading. He was searching the world for Conway and once found a man who tried to cross Tibet’s Kuen-Lun mountain range. He had herd lots of legends about lamaseries in mountain ranges but they were all corrupt. He had met a man in a hooded chair being carried who spoke perfect English. He could receive no information about the missing passengers because the authorities were so ashamed of the incident. The only information about Barnard was that he had disappeared shortly after his scandal. From the lamas he learned that once a man named Friedrich Meister had disappeared while fording a river. He discovered nothing about Henschell, Perrault, or Briac. There was no records of Mallinson and Lo-Tsen either. He went to the resort where he had found Conway. The doctor there remembered that he had been brought by a very old Chinese woman. She was the most old of any one he had ever seen. Rutherford and the narrator wonder if Shangri-La was a figment of Conway’s imagination and if it did exist would he ever find it?