Kampuchea

Alexandre Henri Mouhot (1826-1861), a French explorer and naturalist, with a botany drum slung over his shoulder and a butterfly net in hand, is chasing a summer bird when he accidentally bumps his head, looks up in astonishment, and unexpectedly stands before the temples of Angkor. We are in the year 1860, the year zero of this narrative. In 1887, Auguste Pavie reconstructs the decaying grave of Mouhot in Luang Prabang, where he died of malaria. He establishes the Cambodian School in Paris and becomes an advisor to the future King Monivong, who is later succeeded by Sihanouk, who in turn is overthrown by Lon Nol, who has only a short time before he himself is hunted by Pol Pot. Patrick Deville tells the story of Cambodia in his own way, from Mouhot to the Khmer Rouge. A history of Indochina spanning 150 years.