Two years before adopting seven-year-old Keydell from a group home for young boys, Kim made a vow before the Dalai Lama to become a bodhisattva: one who cultivates an enlightened mind, is free from delusion, and practices kindness and compassion above all else. However, she struggles with this practice as her new son's challenged mind sends him into fits of rage and violence, while seemingly allowing him to feel no remorse for his actions. His behaviors go against everything Kim believes in, but she is determined to keep her chocolate-eyed boy safely in the home she has created with her husband and two biological children. As she tries everything she can to get Keydell the help he needs, she must also learn to accept him exactly as he is: a tiger in the home of elephants. This vulnerable and touching account highlights the interplay between desire and reality, denial and acceptance, struggle and enlightenment. As the minds of this mother and her extraordinary son awaken - Kim's through her Buddhist practice, and Keydell's through the science of neurofeedback - we witness the power of love and compassion to overcome even the greatest odds.