When twenty-two-year-old Belinda Robinson travels to Turkey in 1990 as a part of a backpacking trip through Europe, she's looking for an exciting adventure steeped in culture and history. This is the trip of a lifetime, and she doesn't plan on wasting a moment.
However, what she doesn't expect, is an avalanche of catastrophes that threaten to dramatically derail her plans, or an unexpected romance that will stay with her for life.

After a harrowing and traumatic accident with a bus in Istanbul, she finds herself alone and injured in a foreign country, abandoned by a heartless Australian Government. Luckily the compassion of the Turkish people comes to the fore and the incident gives her the opportunity to learn the kind of life lessons that only come from being at the mercy of strangers.

This poignant story of courage, resilience and accidental love is a journey of surprise as Belinda encounters a procession of compassionate Turkish people, in the most bizarre situations.

Beneath the Smiling Moustache is a comical, inspiring true story of humanity at its best, offering a unique insight into the challenges of travelling alone as a young woman, at a time of rising tensions in the Middle East.