Dawn is breaking over one of the numerous rivers of Bangladesh. In huts scattered along the shore, cooking fires are being lit as farmers prepare for another day of toil in the fields. Out on the river a large black-and-ochre paddle wheeler bearing the name Ostrich is steadily making its way downriver.
In the Edwardian surroundings of its first-class saloon an elderly steward is laying out the silverware for breakfast, which is being cooked on a big cast-iron, wood-fired range in the nearby galley.