Inspired by the rediscovery of an Urdu phrasebook, Ransford takes the reader on a journey to explore the differences between then and now, linking the reader to a world now lost to most. These poems question what it is to be both British and Indian, drawing on the author's memories and experiences to celebrate and uncover an Indian self. This collection of poems reveals the influences that have been formative over four decades of Tessa Ransford's writings.