Professor Happymon Jacob weaves together a thoughtful, incisive and poignant account of the lives around the border between India and Pakistan, of the courage and resilience of the men guarding one of the most unpredictable and fortified places of the world. He traveled with the armies of both countries and could study what is effectively the ground zero-the location where entrenched animosities, as well as sudden surges of comradeship, are enacted. This vividly told, fast-paced narrative brings the border area to life while showing extraordinary similarities between the two sides. Jacob explores how the border is seen-both in the popular imagination and by those who exist in its shadow.