In 2000 Christopher went to live in Iran. Four years later came this: the product of an immersion so deep and personal, he was able to cast new light on a nation that since the 1979 revolution had lived in isolation from the rest of the world. Delving into subjects such as the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, the mullahs of Qom and the disillusionment of the revolution's rebellious children, he travelled the Persian plateau collecting oral testimonies and witnessing an ancient country in the throes of change. The result is an optimistic book, fresh, hopeful and inquisitive, and full of affection for its subject.