The Shaman is a metaphysical memoir, the diary of Gio Fortuna ("John Chance" in English), who embarks on a lifelong search to discover his own purpose and meaning in life, to answer "Why am I here?"Gio, misdiagnosed as mentally deficient while a babe still in diapers, is about to be institutionalized by his parents. His grandparents trained in The Practice, a collection of mystical traditions developed, secreted away, and now known only to a few since humans first gathered and learned of Fire, rescue him and, not believing what the doctors have said, begin teaching him in their ways. The novel follows Gio on a quest much like the hero in Campbell's The Hero's Journey, and is his first person account of recognizing there's more to the world than modern society recognizes, his discoveries while on that quest, and his return to the modern world to use what's he's learned wisely.