In this highly personal account, the author, Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, a son of the first President of the Union of Burma, tells of his youth and involvement in the Shan resistance movement. He gives his version of Shan history and explains the complexity of Shan politics covering the issues of autonomy, Shan-Burmese relations, opium, and other contraband trade. He discusses the personalities involved in the war that is now more than twenty years old. The final part of this book is a compendium of who's who in Shan history and politics. The author passed away in July 2004.