The fiction writer Jamaica Kincaid travels to Nepal with a group of professional botanists, into the foothills of the Himalayas. There she hopes to find rare plants for her garden in Vermont, about which she has written in MY GARDEN (BOOK). However, the trip is less than satisfactory in some ways, as Kincaid endures extremes of weather, sleeplessness, and leeches, finally narrowly escaping an attack by hostile Maoists. However, she also finds much to redeem the journey, including spectacular flowers and plants beyond anything she could have imagined. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.