Novel based on author's life. Gregory David Roberts committed a series of robberies while addicted to heroin, and in 1980 he escaped over the front wall of Victoria's maximum-security prison, making him one of Australia's most wanted men. His subsequent journey took him to various places including Bombay, where he established a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers and worked as a counterfeiter, smuggler, gunrunner and street soldier for the Bombay mafia. Explores the author's journey from being a wanted criminal in Australia to finding humanity on the wild edge of experience.