After an eventful trip through Europe and the Middle East, a young expatriate from California lands in the Hindu Kush mountain range of central Afghanistan where he begins an anonymous existence with a nomadic tribe. But when Tony Rice has a chance meeting with another traveler in Kabul, everything is about to change for the American. Mickey Twitch, who was abandoned by his wife in the Iranian desert, has been in Kandahar and Bamian obsessing over what he calls the oracles. Both he and Tony have individually been contemplating the meaning of life and whether it matters. While smoking hashish and sharing stories, the two expatriates form a bond that prompts them to embark on a mystical journey together through pre-Russian invasion Afghanistan and Pakistan. As the riches of hidden tribal culture and the underbelly of politics amid a powerful drug culture are revealed, the men are lured into a web that will lead one of them straight into the heart of the spider. Rich in color and details of a place forever changed, this historical tale chronicles the journey of two expatriates as they travel into and through the tribal zones of Afghanistan and Pakistan.