Worth Every Gasp is the unique perspective of an Indian woman trekkingalone through the Western Himalayas. Anamika sets out on a trek inLadakh accompanied by her husband and a couple of friends. This trek isaborted when she develops pulmonary oedema, a potentially fatal form ofhigh altitude sickness. Largely undaunted by this inauspicious start,Anamika bids farewell to her companions and embarks on a series of treks in Ladakh, Himachal, and Uttaranchal. She is accompanied, chaperoned,and sometimes bullied by her loyal guide Ballu, who is sometimesmistaken for her husband. As she meanders through the remote mountains,broad valleys, tiny villages, and high passes of the Himalayas, Anamikacomes face to face with a wide range of landscapes, people, andimprobable situations. She navigates through it all with the grace andelegance of an elephant on a dance floor, and emerges largely unscathed... apart from an irreparable scar to her reputation.