Ansary moves from a long view of Afghanistan in the context of world history to his own experiences in Afghanistan after the events of September 11. He zooms in from the demise of the Silk Road through the Cold War and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to the rise of the Taliban. After exploring the origins of this group and its ties to Al Qaeda, he zeros in on Afghanistan today, discussing the direction of the social turmoil there, the factions and interests competing for power, and the implications of events in this country for Pakistan, Iran, the former Soviet Republics, the broader region, and, most importantly, people in the United States.