From the Women's Prize longlisted author of DJINN PATROL ON THE PURPLE LINE comes a mesmerising new novel set in mid-nineteenth century Tibet, known at the time as the Forbidden Kingdom.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the mountainous kingdom of Tibet is closed to outsiders. As European powers scramble for global dominance, this only increases the allure of this mysterious territory.

Two of those looking to undertake the treacherous journey across Tibet are Balram, an Indian schoolteacher, and Katherine, a fifty-year-old British explorer. He is hired as a guide to an ambitious British surveyor; she intends to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa, home to the legendary Potala Palace.

But both have more complex motivations for their expeditions, and as their secrets snap at their heels they encounter the same mysterious figure: a stranger who may hold the key to their survival.