Born at the stroke of midnight, at the precise moment of India's
independence, Saleem Sinai is destined from birth to be special. For he is
one of 1,001 children born in the midnight hour, children who all have
special gifts, children with whom Saleem is telepathically linked. But
there has been a terrible mix up at birth, and Saleem s life takes some
unexpected twists and turns. As he grows up amidst a whirlwind of triumphs
and disasters, Saleem must learn the ominous consequences of his gift, for
the course of his life is inseparably linked to that of his motherland, and
his every act is mirrored and magnified in the events that shape the
newborn nation of India. It is a great gift, and a terrible burden.