The author relates the story of his relationship with his uncle Shanti Behari Seth, who was sent to Germany as a young man in the 1930s to study medicine and dentistry, and Shanti's wife, Helga Gerda Caro, a Jewish German.
Chronicles the journey of author Vikram Seth from China, through Tibet and Nepal, to his home in New Delhi, India and his encounter with nomadic Muslims, Chinese officials, and Buddhists.
