This is a Swami Nikhilananda’s work by contrasting modern materialism with humanity's deeper spiritual search. It argues that while contemporary culture promotes wealth, sensual pleasure, and political power as the ultimate goals, the resulting rise in depression and emptiness reveals these pursuits to be insufficient.The book posits that humans are inherently "seekers of immortality," though they often mistakenly look for it in fleeting, physical objects. The book aims to address this search using testimonies from Hindu scriptures.

The book also provides a brief biography of Swami Nikhilananda (1895–1973), a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. After studying in the Himalayas, he moved to America in 1931 and founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center in New York, leading it until his death.