Long after the decline of the Silk Roads, the vast region linking the Balkans to China remains in the global spotlight. Peter Frankopan argues that to understand what is at stake for the cities and nations built on these trade routes, we must first understand their astounding pasts. It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures, and religions. Now more than ever, Frankopan posits, the fate of the West is inextricably linked to the East.