When a plane carrying American journalist Aidan Shaw goes down in Kashmir in 1949, his wife Joanna refuses to accept that he is dead. Then she learns that a mysterious female reporter has vanished from the same area where Aidan was last seen. Convinced her husband s disappearance is no accident, Joanna enlists the help of his best friend, Lawrence Malcolm, a member of Australia s secret service. In search of answers, they set off, bringing along as translator Kamla, one of the girls from the rescue home Joanna runs in New Delhi. Joanna saved Kamla from an Indian brothel or flash house but Kamla is wise in ways that elude Joanna, and soon it is unclear just who is saving whom.The ensuing journey, leading to the northernmost reaches of India and over the treacherous Karakoram mountain passes, is by turns harrowing and heartbreaking. Suddenly, nothing is as it appears, and as one cruel revelation follows another, this unlikely band finds courage, strength, and unexpected passion in their midst. But will they be strong enough to endure the ultimate betrayal?