With the help of a Maratha nobleman, Mark Shand bought an Indian elephant, Tara, whom he rode over 600 miles to the world's oldest elephant market, the Sonepur Mela. From Bhim, a drink-racked mahout, he learned the skills of elephant driving, and from his friend Aditya Patankar he learned Indian ways. This account of their epic journey is also a memorable, touching account of Tara's transformation from scrawny, beggar elephant to star attraction, and of Mark's developing love affair with elephants.