Contents: Acknowledgements. 1. Cat and Mouse. 2. The petals unfold. 3. Operation Hasina. 4. The half introduction. 5. The storm. 6. No guns, only roses. 7. Enter Amaso. 8. The deal. 9. Rules of the game. 10. 64 squares. 11. A game of chess. 12. White bird, black shadow. 13. The woman in black. 14. Sting in the tale. 15. The Hurly Burly. 15. The final challenge. 17. The denouement. 18. The hour is nigh, the moon is split. Postscript.

"There is a new player among terrorist factions in Kashmir: Ghazni Baba. And inspector general Dashamlav has vowed to stop him at all costs.

The infamous Amaso, leader of the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 bombings, and thus the key target in the American anti-terrorism campaign, has been spotted in the Kashmir area, and the Americans will stop at nothing to get him.

Mili, the spoilt reigning Bollywood actress, refuses to become "fodder for terrorists" when she discovers that her latest film is to be shot in Srinagar, Kashmir. However, the prospect of co-starring with Milind Kumar, Bollywood's superstar icon, is enough persuasion.

These three groups are drawn together in Kashmir. Mili and Dhruv, a friend of Milind Kumar, are kidnapped by Amaso, and are held under cover of the worst snowstorm in living memory. It is under these circumstances that Amaso, Mili and Dhruv play out a modern version of the Arabian Nights. Dhruv, a professional storyteller, has three chances to tell a tale with an unforeseeable twist, to win his and Mili's freedom. But can he do it before the snowstorm blows itself out?"