Originally published: 2007.

Includes bibliographical references, filmography and index.

A tryst with destiny
In their gratitude our best reward
Mohan and Jawahar
Civis britannicus sum
Dreaming of the east
Private lives
We want no Caesars
Power without responsibility
A new theater
Now or never
Operation madhouse
A barrel of gunpowder
Lightning speed is much too slow
A full basket of apples
A rainbow in the sky
Paradise on earth
The battle for Delhi
Kashmir
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow
A kiss good-bye
Echoes

Summary:
At midnight on August 15, 1947, 400 million people were liberated from the British Empire. With the loss of India, its greatest colony, Britain ceased to be a superpower. This defining moment was brought about by a handful of people: Jawaharlal Nehru, the fiery Indian prime minister; Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the leader of the new Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Mohandas Gandhi, the mystical figure who enthralled a nation; and Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, the glamorous but unlikely couple sent to get Britain out of India. Within hours, their dreams would turn to chaos, bloodshed, and war. Behind the scenes, a secret personal drama was also unfolding, as Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru began a passionate love affair. Their romance developed alongside Cold War conspiracies, the beginning of a terrible conflict in Kashmir, and an epic sweep of events that saw one million people killed and ten million dispossessed.