It was fear that got him where he was in the world. Lawrence, escaping the frightening routine of the comfortable life in Manhattan, joins the United Nations peacekeeping mission to Cambodia. In remote Samrong he discovers that the Cambodians, including an opera-singing interpreter with a tragic past, a panhandler-turned-politician with a death wish, and a rebellious band of refugees are only partly responsible for the prevailing turmoil. The real problems are caused by the do-gooding foreigners: a Northern Orthodox priest searching for converts through casinos, a Nigerian general with an eye for illicit business, and Michele Pronk, a knife-wielding Flemish aid worker in constant need of aid. When Michele is abducted, Lawrence and company journey into dangerous Khmer Rouge territory to find her. The harrowing, horrifying and humorous search puts Lawrence's principles to the test and forces him to find his own way through an irrationally dangerous world.