'Nick MacLean, heir to an old Australian farming family, is captured by mujahideen fighters while on a trek in the mountains of Kashmir. For the Mujahid, their commander, this captive is a nuisance—yet, having tasted the West while studying in London, he is drawn into conversation with the Australian. Nick comes to understand that, despite the distance between them, they share a common bond.
'Waiting against hope to be ransomed, Nick is also shackled to profound memories—of his parents' unrealistic expectations of him, and of his sister, Lilly, left solely responsible for a property now in drought and decline. Most of all he is haunted by his youthful friendship with Richard Connolly, the able son of a stockman, who watched with frustration as Nick denied himself the advantages of his birth.' (Publication summary)
