Flapping Eagle is a young Indian given the gift of immortality after drinking a magic fluid. Tiring of the burden of immortal life he sets off to find the mystical Calf Island, where he can rejoin the human race. His journey is peopled with strange assortments of characters, including the clumsy, loquacious Virgil Jones; his ugly, tragic companion, Dolores O'Toole; the wicked conjurer, Nicholas Deggle; the dainty, light-spirited Elfrida Gribb; and the enigmatic, pervasive Grimus, creator and controller of the mysterious island.

An enticing combination of science fantasy, storytelling and folklore makes this first novel by Salman Rushdie an epic adventure truly unlike any other.