Reeling from his wife's slow, painful death, cardiologist Charles Anderson volunteers to work as the doctor in a refugee camp, in the aftermath of an earthquake in a poverty-stricken Islamic country. But when the refugees never arrive and tensions rise to dangerous proportions as bombs fall, he finds that even his altruistic intentions don't follow their planned course. A vivid and compassionate account of the limits of benevolence, "Right of Thirst" offers a subtle exploration of the clash between East and West, rich and poor, and the profound conflicts that divide the world, as well as the fundamental human qualities that unite us.