Karma is the son of an enemy clan. Tinle accuses Karma of murdering his son, after his bloody body turns up on the back of Karma's yak.

Gurgon was a yakpa (cowboy) from the Amdo country in eastern Tibet. To escape the Chinese yoke on his culture, he fled to India, where he made his living as a cook. Looking like a samurai with strong power of concentration, Gurgon's wild sensuousness personifies the rebellious Karma.