This work investigates the systemic realities of the Indian judicial and penal systems through the lens of a British citizen held in detention without trial. Mary Tyler, a British social worker, provides a firsthand account of her five-year incarceration in Indian prisons during the 1970s. Her narrative serves as a critical examination of the legal complexities and bureaucratic inertia that characterized the treatment of political detainees during this period.

Experts and readers often cite this text as a significant primary source for understanding the human rights climate in India during the 1970s. The prose is noted for its directness and its focus on the procedural failures of the judicial system.