The year is 1966, the location Dinajpur, a sleepy provincial town in the far north of what is now Bangladesh but was then East Pakistan. These diary entries record the impressions of a young British volunteer who has been recruited to help out at a new Roman Catholic mission. Wry observations on mission personnel, lively descriptions of local festivals and culture, snapshots of typical scenes and curious anecdotes make up a varied menu of spicy tidbits. The joy and wonder felt by the writer gives the book a beguiling freshness.