TajikistanhasbeenthepoorestoftheformerSovietStatesbutitalsohasthepooreststateofroadswithlimitedexternaltransportationlinksandwithinfrastructureweaknesses,whichhinderdevelopment.TajikistanshareslandborderswithUzbekistan,Kyrgystan,AfghanistanandChina. AconnectiontoChinahasbeenthehopeandexpectationforaprosperousdevelopmentforTajikistan,notablyforthepeopleoftheGorno-BadakhshanAutonomousOblast,forclosetoadecade.UnliketherestofTajikistan,BadakhshanremainsingeographicalisolationfromthecapitalDushanbe,almostthroughouttheyearduetosnowfalls,landslidesandflooding.Thisisoneofthelandscapeswhereourtwomaincharactersmeetandinteractwithintheireverydaylife. DavlatistheTajikmerchandiser,afatherofthreechildren,whosincetheopeningoftheborderbetweenChinaandTajikistanhasmadeafortuneoutoftheexchangeofgoods. LiuisthesingleChinesetruckdriverwhotransportsthegoodsfromChinatoTajikistanandtheopeningofthebordershasopenedanewdoortohisdailylife.