Chapters 1-3 Summary and Analysis

Lost in Shangri-La is a true story that was widely reported when it happened, but got lost in the final months of the war. Mitchell Zuckoff came across references to the story while researching other stories and finally could not resist the pull of this adventure story that had never been truly told.

Chapter 1. Missing. In May of 1945, a Western Union messenger made his way to the home of Patrick Hastings in Owego. The telegram from the Army informed Patrick that his daughter had gone missing.

Chapter 2. Hollandia. Margaret, a corporal, was a secretary at a military base in Hollandia, New Guinea for the Far East Air Service Command or Fee-Ask under Colonel Peter Prossen. May 13, 1945 was Mother's Day. Prossen, spent the morning writing a letter to his long suffering wife and three children. Prossen mentioned how depressed many...