The world teeters on the brink of apocalyptic destruction or a new millennium of universal peace and spiritual awakening. The author suggests that both future worlds coexist in their own dimensions, and we choose by our vibratory levels which world we will inhabit.
Rama, a 21st-century Buddha, who is imprisoned in a psychically impenetrable prison in the Swiss Alps, is the object of intense scientific scrutiny. During his long, unjust incarceration, he has passed into what he calls "the natural state of being."
Twenty-five years earlier, the earth had suffered a catastrophic ecological collapse, forcing the world's greatly diminished population under environ canopies in mega cities around the globe. The World Council fears that Rama's expansive consciousness might awaken subjugated humanity.
Michael Parker, the head of the North American security agency, sends in an undercover operative, reporter Zita Hiller, to discredit the holy man. However, Zita becomes enchanted with the man and his naturalist philosophy and aids his release.
But Rama's consciousness has already triggered the birth of child-Ramas. As two would-be controllers of human destiny engage in psychic warfare, these children offer humankind a third possibility. This leads to a mind-boggling climax that holds out hope to those ready to make the "leap into a new world."