Tharlo is an orphan. Now grown up, he makes a living as a sheep herder in the village. He has grown a ponytail, so people simply call him “Ponytail”, since nobody remembers his real name anyway. Tharlo has a remarkable memory. He remembers so many things, except his own name. He is now in his forties, and he has yet to have his first woman. Now Tharlo goes to town to take a photo for his identity card. He meets a girl in the barber’s shop who changes the course of his life. He embarks on the journey to find his true self. He sells all his sheep and those entrusted by other villagers to him for care, and decides to use the money to go out into the world with the girl, only to find himself being deceived and cheated by her. Ironically, in his journey of self-discovery, Tharlo has lost his sense of self. As he witnesses in the mirror his ponytail being cut off and leaving him bald, he can no longer see himself as a man with a history that he recognizes.

由传统转向现代的藏区，如何负载着文化转型的重负，经历时代的遽变。 本书是著名作家杨显惠先生最新的一部作品，也是关于甘肃的系列短篇小说集的第三部。 甘肃南部和北部的自然环境差异大，山清水秀，民风淳朴。作者近年4次踏进甘南，进行文学采风活动，收集了丰富的文学素材，终以书中的12个故事记录了在甘南藏区的所见所闻，展现了当地悠久而灿烂的文化、牧民特有的生活形态，以及他们从传统走向现代化的身影。