The book is divided into six sections, representing the different ecological regions of Pakistan. These sections are the Mountains, Indus Plains and Western Islands, The Desert, the River (Indus), the Coast and the City. The social, economic, physical and governance related changes that have taken place in these regions are described through extracts from reports, field notes for different development related work and media articles prepared by the author and through
extracts from his personal dairies.
The writings identify past socio-economic conditions as viewed by the communities the author worked or interacted with, present conditions and emerging trends. It also identifies the actors of change, their relationships with each other and with the largr physical and political context on the other. The section on the city deals with the informal sector in the provision of land and services, the impact of globalisation on culture and development and contains geographies of resistance by
communities to "insensitive" development projects.