| Before Taliban |
 | Significant Persons and Parties |
| Author’s Note |
| Preface |
| 1. Introduction |
 | Part I The Saur Revolution |
| 2. Lives of the Party |
| 3. The Armature of Khalqi Power |
| Coda The Death of a President |
| Part II The Pech Uprising |
| 4. A Son of Safi |
| 5. Anatomy of a Tribal Uprising |
| Coda The Death of a Safi Daughter |
| Part III The Islamic Jihad |
| 6. Muslim Youth |
| 7. Fault Lines in the Afghan Jihad |
| Coda The Death of Majrooh |
| 8. Epilogue |
| • | Explaining the Taliban Takeover |
| • | The Changing Place of Islam |
| • | The Failure to Unify Afghanistan |
| • | Conclusion |
| • | Notes |
| Glossary |
| Bibliography |