In 1986, Susie and her friend Claire , fresh-faced graduates from Brown University, were inspired by a place mat at the International House Pancakes they  decided to depart on an epic trip around the world, starting with Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China, then only recently opened to the rest of the world.;Armed only with Nietzsche's greatest works and a copy of Linda Goodman's Love Signs, Susie and Claire were utterly unprepared for their expedition, and their experience alternated between culture shock and exotic adventure, until a near-tragedy turned the trip into a true-life international thriller This adventure is an unforgettable voyage into a peculiarly modern heart of darkness.