At the age of 27, Stephenson intended to spend the year living among the Hadzabe, and more importantly, living their life, hunting what they hunted, eating what they ate, participating in their dances and ceremonies, consulting with their medicine men and learning their myths and dreams.

Armed only with his camera, his art supplies and the open-hearted courage of youth, he set out to live with a people who have changed little since the Stone Age, to glimpse the world as they perceived it and learn the wisdom they had wrested from the land. This remarkable report of his journey and what he learned is adventure/travel writing at its best, reminiscent of Peter Beard and Bruce Chatwin.