Born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, at the precise moment of India's independence, the infant Saleem Sinai is celebrated in the press and welcomed by Prime Minister Nehru himself. But, this coincidence of birth has consequences Saleem is not prepared for: telepathic powers connect him with 1,000 other 'midnight's children' - all born in the initial hour of India's independence - and an uncanny sense of smell which allows him to sniff out dangers others cannot perceive. Inextricably linked to his nation, Saleem's biography is a whirlwind of disasters and triumphs that mirrors the course of modern India at its most impossible and glorious.