In early-1970s Las Vegas, Sam "Ace" Rothstein gets tapped by his bosses to head the Tangiers Casino. At first, he's a great success in the job, but over the years, problems with his loose-cannon enforcer Nicky Santoro, his ex-hustler wife Ginger, her con-artist ex Lester Diamond and a handful of corrupt politicians put Sam in ever-increasing danger.

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

When Redmon finds himself out of home and job, his life becomes a series of unpredictable escapades - from dodging gunfire after his uncle makes him deliver a highly suspicious package to pursuing a moody stewardess he thinks has come to save him. Soon Redmond begins to suspect his road of mishap might actually be the path to the truth he has been seeking all along.