The Lotus and the Wind

"The Lotus and the Wind" is a Spy Novel by John Masters. It continues his saga of the Savage family, who are part of the British Raj in India, and is set against the backdrop of the Great Game, the period of tension between Britain and Russia in Central Asia during the late nineteenth century.

Plot summary

The story is told through the viewpoint of Lieutenant Robin Savage and the innocent but determined Anne Hildreth, although Savage's viewpoint predominates later in the novel. It begins in 1879, when Britain and Afghanistan are engaged in the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

Anne Hildreth and Robin Savage have met and become attracted to each other before the narrative starts. Anne is the daughter of a Commissariat offcer and is travelling with her parents to the military post at Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province of India. En route, she witnesses the murder of an Afghan stranger.

Meanwhile, Robin is part of a military column in Afghanistan. He is the son of a distinguished soldier and has almost been forced to follow in his father's footsteps, but has no taste for action. As the result of an accident, and a superior officer's bungling, he is accused of cowardice, and is also sent to Peshawar to await a Court of Enquiry.

Life threatens to be awkward, but an acquaintance, Major Hayling, connects a souvenir collected by Robin in Afghanistan with the murder witnessed by Anne. Realising that Robin's true passion is for solitude and empty spaces, he recruits him into the Secret Service and sends him in disguise into Central Asia. Accompanied by a faithful Gurkha orderly, Robin sets out to discover the motive behind the murder and determine whether it is connected with the ambitions of Tsarist Russia.

Relations to other books in the series

Robin is the son of Rodney Savage, the protagonist of "Nightrunners of Bengal". Robin is around two years old when the Sepoy Mutiny occurs and his mother murdered.Robin's son is Peter Savage, who features in "Far, Far the Mountain Peak".