Description: A luminous sequel to "The Abyssinian, " and a headlong adventure set in the treacherous splendor of the Eastern empires. This is the beginning of Poncet's circuitous return to Isfahan, where his wife and daughter are trapped by a besieging army of the Afghan king, Mahmud.
Brief description: Jean-Christophe Rufin is a founder of Doctors without Borders and author of the prize-winning first novel The Abyssinian. He lives in France.