Brother Dong, an aging American monk in a Catholic monastery in China, spends his days teaching, farming, and praying. All that being said, he's anything but a typical monk. After getting a phone call from a mysterious friend in Washington, D. C., his peaceful existence is turned upside down, forcing him to make the hardest decisions of his life. The monk must return to the United States, a place he left over 40 years ago, along with a life he no longer is part of. He needs to find out more about the message he received, and while he's there, he can take care of a family inheritance that he has put off for many years. On his way to San Francisco, he is arrested by the military and taken to Washington, D.C. The decisions he must make launch him onto a twisted path full of danger, mystery, and intrigue that will help him solve the most significant interagency case in U. S. history. Is the monk ready for the modern world? Is the modern world ready for him? For an answer, you might want to ask a spy. The Monk and the Spy Part I