Tim Schrader left his life in Australia to work as an English teacher in Bangkok. While he loved teaching, he was struggling financially and agreed to smuggle between 4 and 8 kilos of heroin for $10,000. Caught by Thai customs officers with more than a hundred times the amount of heroin needed to secure a death sentence, he knew he was finished. Serving a life sentence in Bangkok's notorious Bang Kwang Prison, Tim became depressed; he began using heroin and sharing needles with other prisoners. Soon, he discovered he was HIV-positive. But his life changed again when, more than five years after his arrest, Tim received a royal pardon on medical grounds and was free to fly home.