Set mostly in north-western Nepal during the early 1970s, Blood on the Lotus is a fictionalised account of the events leading up and consequent to the CIA’s withdrawal of support for the Kamphas, the Tibetan guerrilla army fighting the occupying Chinese.

The story revolves around three characters: Harry Roberts, a climber whose best friend has been killed on their latest (and illegal) climb, Kay Randall, an idealistic CIA agent who identifies more strongly with the Tibetan cause than with US interests, and Lama Gyaltzen, a Tibetan monk who has been acting for many years as a mediator between the Dalai Lama, the Khampas and the CIA.