Suddenly, a family physician can heal any illness with a simple touch
After
a dozen years of practicing medicine as a family physician, Dr. Alan
Bulmer discovers one day that he can cure any illness with the mere
touch of his hand. At first his scientific nature refuses to accept
what is happening to him, but there is no rational explanation to be
found. So Alan gives himself over to this mysterious power, reveling in
the ability to cure the incurable, to give hope to the hopeless — for one
hour each day.
Although he tries to hide his power, word
inevitably leaks out, and soon Alan’s life begins to unravel. His
marriage and his practice crumble. Only rich, beautiful, enigmatic
Sylvia Nash stands by him. And standing with her is Ba, her Vietnamese
gardener, who once witnessed a power such as Dr. Bulmer’s in his
homeland, where it is called Dat-tay-vao. And the Dat-tay-vao always
comes with a price.
Help arrives from an unexpected
quarter — Senator James McCready offers the use of his family’s medical
foundation to investigate Alan’s supposed power. If it truly exists, he
will back Alan with the full weight of the Foundation’s international
reputation. Feeling that he has reached bottom and that things can only
get better, Alan accepts McCready’s offer. But he has only begun to
pay.