The Elements' is a fictional novel describing the environmental changes from the viewpoint of nature: the plants, the animals, the Elements. A young, sentient kapok tree discovers that the forest and indeed the world is a confusing place. His insatiable thirst for knowledge finds himself oscillating between confusion when talking to Pachamama, the Mother Earth, and then enlightenment, after listening to the songs from the curator of the world's ancient history: Ruminant Whale.
When a nomadic group of native, Flerd Indians suddenly make camp in Fly forest, the young kapok is simultaneously filled with fear and intrigue. He remembers Whale's poignant songs about their barbaric and savage activities and wonders what will become of him. Ruminant Whale tries to explain that the Fly Indians are different from the other worldly Flerds, but Tree remains apprehensive and keeps a cautious eye on them.
Life also becomes confusing for the Fly Indians when at the point of the mid-summer solstice their prized, sacrificial offering to the spirits: an auspicious condor, flies away with the head shaman dangling in his talons below. Shap, his trainee shaman, finds himself in the difficult position as head of the village, thoroughly aware that he is not fully trained. Unfortunately for him a young, astute mother: Ocillo and her twin daughters: Chil and Chel are also aware that he is not up to it.
With Shap's increasing addition to his hallucinatory, yoppa concoctions, he slowly develops ambitions to be an 'Emperor'. He comes to believe that he is the Son of Viracocha, the ultimate god of creation, and diligently seeks the restoration of the Inca empire. This comes into conflict with Ocillo's new, democratic, acquiescent ways of living and tempers begin to flare. Tree gets caught up with these disputes when Chil and Chel adopt him as the tree of life. Unknowingly to Tree though, other threats are to become much more sinister.
