This book centres on an Australian boy, Kamal, whose father is from the northern Indian village of Amroha. The family go to Amroha on holidays and Kamal learns about a number of traditions and traditional tales. The family goes to a dargah (graveyard) to offer sweets and prayers. This particular dargah is infested with scorpions but they do not sting. Kamal tells his friends back home the tale of The Scorpion Garden which explains why this is so. Another story in the book, Moharram, describes a procession in which Kamal participated to commemorate the death of Mohammed's grandson Hussain in a battle long ago. Kamal was very happy to take part in the parade even if he was exhausted by the end of the day.
