Beneath a Marble Sky, John Shors-(CAUTION)Rich Man, Poor Man, Shogun, and Thornbirds expanded the years from 1976-1983, what's missing? In 2004, John Shors blends fiction into actual historical events. Based on the real-life daughter of the Emperor in Agra, India, the city of the Taj Mahal is the tale of the building of the Taj Mahal. The Mausoleum was built out of her father's love for her mother. However, while the design and buiding of the Taj Mahal was in process parralleling were poltical issues, war, and family power struggles.