Born at the stroke of midnight at the exact moment of India"s independence, Saleem Sinai is a special child. However, this coincidence of birth has consequences he is not prepared for: telepathic powers connect him with 1,000 other "midnight"s children" all of whom are endowed with unusual gifts. Inextricably linked to his nation, Saleem"s story is a whirlwind of disasters and triumphs that mirrors the course of modern India at its most impossible and glorious.