Includes bibliographical references (p. 327-328) and index.

Contents: Prelude : the end (p. 1)—Part one : planting (p. 5)—Part two : flowering (p. 139)—Part three : harvest (p. 253).

We're getting out, mate. Charles's composure was belied by the taut lines in his face and the two Afghan guards flanking him, their rifles unslung and ready. get your things. If what we're hearing from Zabulis true, we've been sitting here like bloody ducks for too long already. If true, the rumors from Zabul province confirmed that someone was trying to kill us, but we didn't yet know who : the struggling remnants of the Taliban, opium smugglers who found our work and inconvenience, or local militia commanders with some unknown grudge. We didn't know if they planned more attacks, or if they could strike us in the city of Lashkargah itself. So we were running. There was a small U.S. military outpost on the edge of town, next to the graveyard. By the afternoon our office and staff houses would be empty of everyone but guards, and our Western staff would be inside an bunker—cover page.