Michael Palin embarks on an epic, illuminating journey through Iraq, one of the most dangerous and complicated countries on earth. Following the Tigris river for more than a thousand kilometers, from its source in eastern Turkey to the Persian Gulf, Michael hopes to get insight into the lives of Iraq's 40 million inhabitants. It is one of the few regions in the world he has not yet visited, but he has been fascinated by it ever since he was young. Michael wishes to investigate the country's difficult past as well as its reputation as the "cradle of civilisation."