Dubai has become the watchword for all things new, glittering and very bling-- a billionaire's dreamworld and a haven for international expatriates promising a fantasy land of tax-free fun, sun and sin. But behind the glitz are the stories of the myriad of people who inhabit this near-fabled kingdom. From ski slopes to souks, seven-star hotels to immigrant labor camps, Dubai is a city state of extremes. Raymond Barrett has been there, seen it and written about it in this eye-opening portrait of the real Dubai. He encounters a dizzy melange of expatriates-- Iranians, Ethiopians, Indians, Afghans, Chinese, and British-- and tells the emirate's real, uncensored stories. Will the Dubai dream turn to dust and reveal the oasis to be a shimmering mirage? Is is a plastic Arabia or an authentic 21st-century success story?