One of the most remarkable Tibetan Buddhist lamas to come to the US was Geshe Ngawang Wangyal, an ethnic Kalmyk Mongol born in what is now Russia. He was a founding figure in the spread of Buddhism in the West, and was instrumental in arranging for the Dalai Lama’s first visit to the US in 1979. He established the Lamaist Buddhist Monastery of America, the first Tibetan Buddhist center here, in Freehold, New Jersey, after emigrating to the US in 1955, and was the first to teach American students, including composer Philip Glass and now-leading scholars Robert Thurman and Jeffrey Hopkins. This richly researched film introduces the key members of Geshe Wangyal’s circle, and tells his amazing and little-known story well. Filmed on location by Russian director Ella Manzheeva in the USA, India, Russia, Hong Kong, and Germany.