The television chat-show host Clive Anderson visits four areas of the world which have become symbols of hell on earth. His brief is to explore this definition and to establish whether it is a fair one, or simply the product of British tabloid misconceptions. As Beirut seeks to recover from 17 years of war and 100,000 deaths, how will its people cope with rebuilding their lives? In Calcutta, Anderson witnesses the poverty of the slums as well as the rich remnants of the Raj at the smartest cocktail parties. His investigations in Lagos are obstructed by crime, corruption and chaos. And in the Bronx he encounters several industries thriving off the back of New York's borough of crime.