Ilustrated study of the Tibetan Buddhist Kumbum Monastery (Tib. Sku-'bum), located in the traditional region of Amdo (Tib. A-mdo) or present-day Qinghai Province; includes drawings of architectural features and photographs of buildings and monastic community.

A forefront Buddhist leader describes his witness to the torture and arrest of his family and teachers by Chinese authorities, his suffering at the sides of fellow monks under occupier "reeducation" practices, and his eventual escape to Tibet.