What is the path to enlightenment? Biblical characters used to roam the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. Nietzsche's Zarathustra lived in a cave. Buddha shed all of his possessions. But how in the world could this be achieved now, in a time when deserts have sprouted into cities, caves are all in national parks and any child who can walk carries a cell phone? In The 33rd Year, Neal A. Yeager paints a picture of one man's difficult and unique philosophical quest--its rewards and its costs. This is a book about the search for... something.