* A thrilling and romantic adventure, beautifully written and totally addictive *In The Abyssinian we met Jean-Baptiste Poncet - a lucky, charming and handsome doctor - and followed him to Abyssinia and back as he sought for adventure and love. Now, in Rufin's luminous sequel, Poncet finds himself in Isfahan, the capital of Persia, practising medicine in the court of the Shah.In order to rescue his melancholy old friend Juremi, Poncet travels in disguise to Russia where he meets Peter the Great. The friends are reunited and set off together, only to be captured by nomads and sold as slaves in Afghanistan. This is the beginning of Poncet's circuitous return to Isfahan, where his wife and daughter are trapped by the besieging army of Mahmud, the Afghan king.Subtle, exciting, romantic and adventurous, this is beautifully-crafted historical fiction at its finest.