Dreamers, Runaways, and Mysteries takes readers to many places around the world, some enfolded in mystery.

The tales tell of characters drawn to these places, sometimes for escape from the lives they had led, and of incidents that memorably mark their travels. In India, an intrepid lady adventurer charms an unhappy American; in Buenos Aires, a lonely tourist gets enraptured by a torrid story of tango dancers; in Botswana, a safari takes a surprising twist under an astonishing guide; in Singapore, fantasies of Somerset Maugham bewitch a yearning visitor; in Rio de Janiero, a buoyant lady of the night beguiles a disaffected businessman; in Saigon, a nostalgic journalist hears surprising secrets from a gentle Laotian. And many more.

The essays share the tales' spirit of travel and sense of place as they plumb historical mysteries of Sagres, Portugal, where the great age of exploration began; Shanghai, China, where past and present compete; Khajuraho, India, where erotic temple art flowered; and Marrakech, Morocco, where storytellers thrive in the marketplace.

In all, Dreamers, Runaways, and Mysteries celebrates the life-giving experience of travel and the unexpected turns this experience can take when we let it.