Annie d'Orcy is an aviatrix, Zen Buddhist and writer of children's stories based on her constant (and long-suffering) companion, a parrot called Dogen. In The White Macaw she lands her plane at a Mayan site in the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico, looking for her daughter Perdita who, she believes, has gone there after some sort of story. Is it Mayan nationalism? If so, this is what brought about the death of Perdie's famous photojournalist father. The parallel is too close for Annie's peace of mind, and while trying to find out where Perdie is, and what she's up to, Annie encounters a colourful collection of characters - drug-runners, Buddhists in retreat and eccentric archeologists dabbling in shamanics - all of whom play a part in the breath-taking conclusion.