An Australia puppeteer falls for a beautiful Muslim girl during his stay in Pakistan.

Donkey in Lahore tells the real life tale of Brian, an Australian Goth whose skills as a puppeteer takes him on a journey that transcends borders, religion and love. While visiting Lahore in Pakistan to perform at a puppet festival, Brian meets Amber, 17. Ten years Brian's junior, Amber doesn't seem a likely match for this tear-away Goth. She's a devout Muslim and still lives at home with her tight-knit family. Yet in a whirlwind two-week romance during which the pair are never alone together, they fall in love. Over the next two years, Brian and Amber continue their relationship by correspondence. Brian converts to Islam in order to be accepted by Amber's family and so that he can marry her. Brian's struggle to marry Amber is fraught as he battles the Australian immigration system, costly trips between the two countries, his own religious conversion, lifestyle changes and last but not least the shifting demands of Amber's parents. What unfolds is a real life Romeo and Juliet tale that spans the globe, a story of love that borders on obsessive. From Brisbane to Lahore, from Christianity to Islam, can these star-cross'd lovers live happily ever after?—Axel Grigor

In Brisbane, we meet Brian, 27, early in 2003. He's en route to a mosque to convert to Islam, part of his plan to marry Amber, a young woman he met two years before, when she was 17, while he was in Pakistan for two weeks performing with puppets. He takes the name Aamin. Over the next four years, we follow Aamin and Amber. His was a rootless childhood; he's often unemployed with few skills. He plans to buy a house in Lahore, marry Amber, and do a puppet show on Pakistani TV. Success seems unlikely, her parents change the conditions of their approval, and his and Amber's frustrations mount. E-mail, phone calls, and his occasional visit to Lahore suggest this is a failing venture.—<[email protected]>