Michael Palin travels around the Pacific rim. He starts in the Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait, goes to see the Kodiak bear in Alaska and visits the geysers and hot springs of Kamchatka.

In this episode Michael Palin samples the oddity of Oriental life while passing through Japan and South Korea.

Michael Palin enters China by boat from Korea. He visits the cities of Qingdao and Shanghai and takes a local steamer down the Yangtze.

Michael Palin visits Hanoi, takes a sampan on the Perfume River, witnesses psychic surgery, sees the Cu Chi tunnels, judges a beauty contest and fails to see the Banaue rice terraces.

From the Philippines, Michael Palin crosses the Sulu sea in a leaky ferry. He travels on through the Borneo jungle to Java where he climbs a volcano.

Michael Palin reaches Australia where his activities include a cameo role in Home and Away. He also looks for sperm whales in New Zealand's icy waters.

Michael Palin lands on Cape Horn, parties on Chiloé, visits Santiago, the Juan Fernández Islands and La Paz, and crosses the Andes by a train which is derailed.

Michael Palin takes a reed boat on Lake Titicaca in the Andes, before an 1,000 mile journey along the Urubamba river to the Amazon.

Michael Palin travels from Mexico City to the Diomede Islands where his trek began. He meets up with illegal immigrants in Mexico, cruises San Francisco's gay scene and visits Alcatraz.