Twelve-year-old Bayir is the son of a poor family of herders. He bears the responsibility of retrieving a mother camel which has run away to find the colt that Bayir’s father sold to some film people. Bayir has to bring her back; his whole family’s survival depends upon it. His parents have gone away and his two siblings are too young to help. So Bayir has to set out on his own on an old motorbike that is far too big for a boy of his size. His journey takes him across the vast, dry Kalmykian steppe. Sand storms and perilous terrain halt his progress and he has some strange encounters. Shamans invoke the much longed-for rain, a young girl dances for him, he is unjustly arrested by the police, and an illegal petrol depot goes up in flames. Fortunately, he also meets a good friend with all sorts of useful skills. Meanwhile, Bayir has found out where the mother camel will probably be. But it is a long way away. An amusing story, lovingly told. And a magical journey into a world that is utterly unique.
