This is the story of a major aid project: how it was organized, what it was meant to achieve and why it failed spectacularly. It challenges many of the assumptions and generalizations about development by placing them in a specific context, and provides fresh insights for anyone involved in the development process. The authors describe events on a large Australian aid-funded rural development project, the Magarini Settlement Project in Coast Province, Kenya. While they consider why this project failed to fulfil even its minimum goals, they focus on what Magarini has in common with other development projects. They show how Magarini is symptomatic of current practice, and they argue for a more pluralistic approach to development planning. The text draws extensively on interviews, field diaries and file documentation.