Notes

Anand wants his life to change: he was a happy twelve-year-old before ill luck forced him to work on the streets of his home in India. His chance comes the day he meets a strange and ragged old beggar. But who is he? What does he want? The old man needs Anad's help to protect a treasure of immeasurable value - a tiny, beautiful conch shell. But this is no ordinary conch, it has a potent magical force and must be returned to its rightful home, many hundreds of miles away. Anand and the old man set out and are soon joined by Nisha, a headstrong but resourceful young sweeper girl. Together they must travel across burning planins and turbulent rivers, facing evil spirits and fantastical creatures, to reach the mountainous Silver Valley. And all the time a dangerous thief, who can sense the force of the conch, is never far behind them.