The little-known former Soviet Bloc country is a place of remote steppes and mammoth mountain ranges, which can only be crossed via perilously narrow rocky tracks. Starting from the capital, Bishkek, it doesn't take long for the road to head steeply upwards – but it's soon clear the biggest threat comes from the homicidal overtaking manoeuvres of the local drivers, who display a cavalier disregard for blind bends and oncoming lorries. While Jake squirms in the passenger seat, Jack decides to join in the fun, only adding to Jake's terror.

Over the coming days, Jack and Jake face multiple obstacles, from horrifyingly narrow roads with only a sheer drop for company, to muddy tracks rendered almost undriveable by rainstorms. But for Jake in particular, the driving is only half the challenge. For a man who lives life to a strict routine, being starved of home comforts (including the morning shower he hasn't missed for 20 years) is a real ordeal. And things hit rock bottom when he's struck down by a mystery illness that threatens to cut short their entire trip.