Sinology student Roxana travels along the Silk Road in the early 1990s to explore unknown Buddhist cave paintings in the Xinjiang province of northwestern China. She aims to demonstrate that the region was not always Islamic, but has Buddhist roots. Roxana's years of research do not lead to the hoped-for success, but she does not want to return to Europe empty-handed, especially since there is nothing worth coming home for. Her departure into the unknown is lost in the sands of the Taklamakan Desert, the 'Desert of No Return.' Twenty years later, the seriously ill Linda travels to Xinjiang for her last development project. However, the authorities refuse the promised cooperation. Condemned to inactivity in the guesthouse, Linda stumbles upon the records left behind by the missing Roxana and follows in her footsteps.