Can a New Age guru save his cult without losing his soul?

Spinning Karma is the story of Rinpoche Edward Schwartz, reluctant figurehead of Mind of Pure Enlightenment (MOPE), a once-popular New Age group whose current membership has sunk to an all-time low. In an ill-conceived effort to bring the group and its teachings back into the limelight, Schwartz heads to Taiwan to film a fake “religious oppression” video - starring a group of clueless language students who believe that they're taking part in an English conversation class.

The video goes viral and the scheme succeeds beyond Schwartz's wildest expectations, triggering a media-driven propaganda war between the United States and China that spins out of control. Before long, everybody from spiritual seekers in China and America, to an ambitious presidential contender, to the Chinese government itself wants a piece of MOPE…and of Schwartz.

Set in an exotic, untapped location, this erudite, offbeat, East-meets-West farce features characters and situations ripped straight from the headlines, gently mocking religious intolerance, the social media-driven news cycle, and the often confusing “Frenemies with benefits” relationship between America and China.

Joshua Brown