Despite being the tenth longest river in the world, the Amur is almost unknown to outsiders. Simmering with the memory of land-grabs, this border between Russia and China is the most densely fortified frontier on earth—which would never deter 80 year old Colin Thubron. During a 3,000-mile trek, Thubron is harassed by police and dogged by injuries, but makes his way by Mongolian horse, hitchhiking, sailing on poacher's sloops, and the Trans-Siberian Express. Most intriguingly, Thubron talks to Chinese traders and Russian fishermen, monks and indigenous peoples, bringing this land of contradictions to life.

"Elegant, elegiac and poignant…. Thubron is an intrepid traveler, a shrewd observer and a lyrical guide."—Washington Post