Jivaka's fifteen-year-old mother, Vatsayani, seduces the scholar sage Richika to father her child. The child becomes a disciple of Kashyapa, who is a renowned healer of children. To prove his merit, the five-year old Jivaka is forced by veterans to enter the River Ganges. Jivaka emerges from the water as a great healer himself. The story connects seamlessly to a modern-day Jivaka who is training to be a paediatrician. The novel attempts to bring to life childcare in ancient India—developed around the Kashyapa Samhita, the only text of Ayurvedic paediatric medicine in existence today.\n\nThe story connects seamlessly to a modern-day Jivaka who is training to be a paediatrician. The novel attempts to bring to life childcare in ancient India—developed around the Kashyapa Samhita, the only text of Ayurvedic paediatric medicine in existence today.\n