In June 2004, 18 year old Lhagyari Trichen Namgyal Wangchuk was crowned by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India and became the 18th descendant of the Great Religious Kings of Tibet. His forefathers formed the Tibetan nation and one of the most popular religions of modern times, Tibetan Buddhism. It was centuries before Tibetans had found their first Dalai Lama.

When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun explores the struggle of a young Tibetan King who is expected to continue a 1400 year old lineage. It reveals for the first time how he, alongside the peers of his generation, tries to reflect on his history while being forced to redefine his identity in this new world of shifting politics and changing religious devotion.