The lives of three very different groups of people--gangsters on the streets of Manila, middle-class suburban families, and a group of street children and the psychologist studying them--intertwine in an intricately woven tale, set in the Philippines, that spans three generations.
The Beach is a legend among young travellers in Asia: white as sands circling a lagoon hidden from the sea, coral gardens and freshwater falls surrounded by jungle. In this earthly paradise, it is rumoured, a select community lives in blissful innocence. For Richard, haunted by the glamour of Vietnam war movies, a trek into unknown Thai territory is irresistible. He was looking for adventure. N…