Austrálsky farmár Joshua Connor má zvláštny talent pre hľadanie vody pod zemou vo vyprahnutej krajine. Svoj inštinkt bude musieť využiť v životnom dobrodružstve, aby sa v cudzej nepriateľskej krajine dostal na miesto najstrašnejšej bitky prvej svetovej vojny a našiel svojich troch synov. Cesta ho z austrálskeho kontinentu vedie do Konštantínopolu (dnešného Istanbulu), na rozhraní Európy a Ázie, doprostred chaosu zmršťujúceho sa impéria Osmanskej ríše. Connor sa musí zorientovať v neznámom prostredí plnom exotiky. S nečakanou pomocou potom začína súkromné vojnové ťaženie, nemenej veľkolepé než to, ktoré tu nedávno skončilo.
Celý bláznivý projekt sa zrodil v hlave jemenského šejka, zbožného a bohatého muža, ktorého k nemu priviedla jeho láska k lovu lososov a neotrasiteľné presvedčenie, že je možné vierou dosiahnuť nemožného. Tento projekt upúta pozornosť niekoľkých zaslúžilých britských politikov. Napadne ich, že by sa tak dala odviesť pozornosť médií od nepríjemností, ku ktorým na Strednom východe došlo. Vládne súkolia sa dávajú do pohybu.
January, 1920. 350,000 French soldiers remain missing in action. Major Dellaplane tirelessly matches the dead and the wounded with families' descriptions. Honor and ethics drive him; he hates the idea of "the unknown soldier." Into his sector, looking for her husband, comes a haughty, politically connected Parisian, Madame Irène de Courtil. Brusquely, Dellaplane offers her 1/350,000th of his time, but as their paths cross and she sees his courage and resolve, feelings change. After he finds a surprising connection between her missing husband and a local teacher, Irène makes Dellaplane an offer. This man of action hesitates: has he missed his only chance?
Thirty years on from Vietnam, a government official is trying to track down soldiers who went missing in action, in the hope that it may lead her to her father. Meanwhile, a war veteran is forced to relive painful memories of how he was left for dead by his own platoon, and the heinous crimes he once committed while in the line of duty.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who, even when out and about, was always distracted. Eyes fixed on her phone, she didn’t notice the world around her or anyone who wanted to play. What could be done to “disoccupy” her eyes?
In September 2004, Himzo Muratovic returned from the dead. Himzo turned up in a taxi in his Bosnian Muslim village, 12 years after he disappeared at the height of the Serb terror. His mother fell unconscious when neighbors told her that her missing son had returned. For several days the village celebrated the return of the long-dead Himzo Muratovic.