Drawn back to the Yemen by idyllic memories of age-old cities, spectacular mountains and, most of all, the dreamy afternoons spent chewing the stimulant leaf of the qat tree, Kevin Rushby set out to travel the old trade route from the highlands of Ethiopia to Yemen. The journey is at times dangerous, often comic; and by accepting the invitation to take qat at every opportunity, he encounters a wonderful array of characters - criminals, Islamic scholars, an exorcist, and the mysterious Cedric, the travelling companion from hell who offers to help Rushby find a dhow across the Red Sea.