Stirring the Stillness

War-torn China in the 1030s. Nationalist forces, communist rebels, and the invading Japanese army are seemingly everywhere. Amidst this backdrop, a group of pilgrims, including schizophrenic American John Powers, searches for a mysterious female known as Her. They bring with them the Precious Object, a golden statue from which come strange tapping sounds. As the travelers try to survive, John hears voices in his head arguing over his fate. The voices, apparently working in league with Her and the precious Object, want him to conceive a son with one of the women in the group, a beautiful Chinese pianist. Who is Her? What do the taps from the Precious Object mean? And why do they want John and the pianist to have a son?