In 1936, one-year-old Colin Browning is swept into the vibrant world of British-ruled Burma. As his American mother battles rigid colonial rules and daily fears of vermin and malaria, Colin embraces Rangoon—learning Hindustani, cherishing Sissy, his beloved ayah, and calling the exotic city home. War shatters that childhood when the Japanese invasion forces a frantic escape to India. While Colin endures exile and hostile Uncle Harold, his father survives a brutal 300-mile jungle trek, suffering malaria, dehydration, and blistered feet. Six months later, Colin barely recognizes the frail man who's returned home. Reunited, the family drifts across wartime India and Pakistan as Colin attends five schools in three years, shaped by upheaval and uncertainty. In 1944, mother and son brave submarine-filled seas for their final journey to America. By age nine, Colin has circled the globe—his extraordinary childhood forged by wonder, war, resilience, and survival