Laos 1979: Dr. Siri Paiboun the twice-retired ex-National Coroner of Laos receives an unmarked package in the mail. Inside is a handwoven pha sin a colorful traditional skirt. A lovely present but who sent it to him and why? And more importantly why is there a severed human finger stitched into the sin’s lining? Siri finagles a trip up north to the province where the sin was made not realizing he is embarking on a deadly scavenger hunt.