Catherine Borland married George Macartney in 1898 and travelled with him to Kashgar in Turkestan, where he represented Britain from 1890 until 1918 Officially responsible for the interests of the small British Indian community, he kept an unofficial watch on the activities of the Russians, for Kashgar was then Britain's most advanced position in the long struggle with Tsarist Russia for political and economic supremacy in Asia In her 17 years in Kashgar, Catherine entertained many famous travellers and this book is an account of her life and the sometimes exotic customs of the country