A witty, wildly funny, poignant and, at times, tragic novel about the passing of an age where nothing seems to matter until the hard, cruel, real world comes knocking at the door. It's 1971, and the travellers who end up in the flea-pit Lux Hotel in Calcutta are determined to have a good time. Theres ex-public schoolboy Gordon, the cool American Larry, a weird pair of Australians, and Freddie Braintree, the acid casualty. But is he who he seems to be? Their scene is innocence and inner journeys, experimentation and a lust for new experiences. But theres a war going on between India and Pakistan and a mysterious hippie killer is lurking in the dark alleyways of the city. Meanwhile Hugh, the straight one who is trying to build a career, is covering the war for a British newspaper but he hasn't a clue what he is doing, and the shocking massacres and brutality he witnesses cast a long shadow over all their lives.