For 30 years, John Varty has translated his passion for the natural world into a series of remarkable relationships with some of the most dangerous creatures on earth - living with them in the wild, on their own terms . . . and on their own turf. Nine Lives will track his journey -- from a kid who grew up killing as many big cats as he could . . . to a pioneer of conservation and ecotourism on the same game reserve where his family had been hunting predators for almost 100 years.Along the way, Nine Lives will tell the story of his most intimate relationships with big cats: a wild mother leopard, an abandoned lion cub, two adopted leopard cubs and his current project - bringing two captive-bred tiger cubs to Africa and teaching them to survive in the wild. Over time, Varty would be accepted into one of natures most exclusive clubs . . . the private lives of apex predators, eventually at very close range. He would live with - and make films about - some cats for years - creating a remarkable chronicle of wildlife behavior and a new kind of intimacy between human and predator.