In 1982, at the age of just twenty-three and during her architecture studies, Elspeth Beard embarked on a 35,000-mile solo adventure around the world on her 1974 BMW R60/6. Influenced by a recent breakup and with limited savings from her job at a pub, equipped with a tent, a few clothes, and some tools all loaded onto her motorcycle, she was determined to prove herself. She had been riding motorcycles since her teens and was well-traveled.

However, nothing could prepare her for what lay ahead. When she returned to London nearly two and a half years later, she had lost weight and gained the wisdom of many decades. She had crossed unbearable landscapes and war-torn countries, witnessed political upheavals that forced her to forge documents, and defended herself against sexual assaults, biker gangs, and corrupt police who believed she was trafficking drugs.

She survived life-threatening illnesses, personal losses, and severe accidents that left her with permanent scars and gaps in memory. She also fell in love with two very different men. In a time before email, the Internet, mobile phones, satellite navigation, and, in some parts of the world, available and reliable maps, Elspeth achieved something that seems remarkable even today.

Expressed with honesty and humor, this is the extraordinary and moving story of a unique and defining adventure.