Just out of jail, crumpled English archaeologist Arthur reconnects with his wayward crew of accomplices - a happy-go-lucky collective of grave-robbers who survive by looting Etruscan tombs and fencing the ancient treasures they dig up.
Paul is preparing to leave Tajikistan, while thinking back on his adolescent years. His childhood, his mother's madness, the parties, the trip to the USSR where he lost his virginity, the friend who betrayed him and the love of his life.