For a Pagan Song tells the story of how Jonny Bealby follows in the footsteps of his two heroes from literature, Kipling and Dravot, travelling across remote parts of India and Pakistan and into war-torn Afghanistan. Picturing himself seated by a roaring fire, listening to the song of a pagan chief, Jonny sets out to experience the ancient ways of the tribes of Kafiristan — and discovers himself along the way.