High up in the Andes there is a beautiful mountain valley, hidden away from the rest of the world. There Cusi, the Indian boy, lives with Chuto, the old Inca llama herder, helping him guard the precious flock. The walls of the llama corral are part of a ruined temple left from the days of old when the Incas ruled Peru. 

Cusi helps with all the llamas—grazing them, shearing them, training them—but his own special pet is black Misti. Misti accompanies Cusi when Cusi leaves the valley and goes down to the world of people, the Spanish world, to search for his heart's desire. "Grieve not if your searching circles," Cusi has been told and, in time, he learns the meaning of these words. 

This is a story that sings the grandeur of the mountains: the wild crags, the canyons and gorges, the lovely pastures and wildflowers and deep crystal pools. More than that it sings the grandeur of the Incas themselves: their grace and pride and dignity, the greatness that was never defeated but lives on, sacred within their hearts.

From the dust jacket