In the southern province of Guangxi, in the south of the People's Republic of China, the shamans of the Nung people practice shamanistic rituals daily in order to restore ecological, biological, and social balance. On the first day of each lunar month, Along, a famous shaman and soothsayer, is visited by many people seeking divination. He uses the techniques of Taoism to deal with more benign maladies. When he encounters a serious case, he visits the home of the person in question, in this case a widow who has become paralyzed as a result of spreading scandal. He informs the supernatural beings that he is about to perform a shamanistic ritual. The shaman's patron spirit, his paternal grandfather, accompanied by a troop of auxiliary spirits, travels in the realms of the supernatural. Along describes in detail the journey they take.