The rugged land between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus is the front line of a fascinating and formidable clash of cultures; Russia on one side, the predominantly Muslim mountains on the other. Here, award-winning author Nicholas Griffin recounts his journey to the Caucasus to explore the roots of today's conflict, centering his account on Imam Shamil, the greatest Muslim warrior of the nineteenth century, who remains virtually unknown in the West.