A fifteen-year-old boy is walking through a swirling fog on his way to school when a voice calls out, "Come here. We need to talk." Out of the mist emerges an old man with a white beard. He is a fantastic figure, as wizardly as Merlin, as wise as Socrates, as peaceful as Buddha. Whoever he is, the old man has appeared on that very day to change the boy's life.

"You are old enough to learn about things," he says mysteriously. "And who is going to teach you but me?"

The old man gives the boy four days of "soul training," a time of riddles, tricks, parables, and fantastic twists that bring out surprising answers to each of four burning questions about spirituality:

<BLOCKQUOTE>Do I have a soul?

How do wishes come true?

What is the supreme force in the universe?

How can I change the world?</BLOCKQUOTE>

The boy was Deepak Chopra, who grew up to become an acclaimed writer and teacher about the same invisible things that the old man had taught him. Fire in the Heart is Dr. Chopra's first book for young adults. Its aim is to pass on this soul training to young readers.

"The old man with the white beard showed me the spiritual side of life," writes the author, "where real passion and excitement come from. So before you begin, take a deep breath. This story could turn out to be yours."

"[Spirit is] everywhere, making sure that everything is connected. The light from a star billions of light years away is the same light that makes plants grow here on earth. The plants give food; the food has allowed you to develop in your mother's womb; and today you look at that star with the eyes that the stars gave you. There's the cosmic connection."

-- from Fire in the Heart