Caught between new and old, a pen in one hand and a paddle in the other, Syaman Rapongan knows he is creating an intangible asset by writing about the Tao. Yet, in the pragmatic terms of day-to-day life, his inability to support his family by playing the role of the wage-earner has left him feeling both powerless and very much alone.
徘徊在新舊文化之間，一手握筆、一手操槳的夏曼藍波安，知道他書寫民族的過程是一種珍貴的無形財產，但在現實生活中，卻無力扮演好賺錢養家的「夏曼」角色，他有著深深的寂寞和無奈。