In their fourth adventure Edinburgh archaeologist Philip Trevasco, and Rosalind Bernaud, an Australian artist, travel to Kandahar in Afghanistan. What they learn from the excavation and a ring guide them to King Euthydemus of ancient Bactria. How are the destinies of Alexander's veterans and the Scythian tribes linked? Cultures clash in the ancient and modern stories: from Buddhist Gandhara to Soviet Russia. Can the lovers protect Sanctuary from new barbarians in a time of war?