When Tariq Hakim introduced himself to Colin Lawler one night in a quiet pub, he had no idea that this simple gesture would eventually lead him to imprisonment in his homeland of Yemen. Lawler, a lawyer, has a Libyan client who wishes to deliver much-needed medical equipment to Yemen. Hakim, a doctor who speaks the language and knows the culture, seems a perfect match to facilitate the transaction. However, while in Yemen, a favour to an old friend finds him breaking centuries-old social taboos as he is faced with the dilemma of reconciling his responsibilities to a female patient and respecting the culture and people of his youth. He endures torture at the hands of one his own medical students. But a one night of passion whith a beautiful Danish women leads to rescue, while a coup d'etat is being planned.
The author Qais Ghanem was born in the British colony of Aden, later part of Yemen. He graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh. He is clinical associate professor at the University of Ottawa.
