Weavaing meticulously researched facts with beautifully imagined scenes, Margaret Landon recreates an unforgettable portrait of life in a forgotten exotic land. Anna Leonowens, a proper Englishwoman, was an unlikely candidate to change the course of Siamese (Thai) history. A young widow and mother, her services were engaged in the 1860's by the King Mongkut of Siam to help him communicate with foreign governments and be the tutor to his children and favored concubines.