Best-selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Sir Alexander McCall Smith takes us on the journey of his remarkable life, from a childhood in British-run Rhodesia to world-wide fame as a Scottish writer. He discusses his influences and passions, his preoccupations and his sense of moral empathy. From cave drawings in Botswana to receiving his knighthood in a kilt and bonnet, via setting up The Really Terrible Orchestra for the musically challenged, McCall Smith's range of interests and experiences are vividly evoked with his endearing and infectious energy in an interview full of insight into the world of one of our most loved authors.