The French Foreign Legion is infamous for its brutal training and its acceptance of recruits from any country, with ‘no questions asked’. The Legion has a reputation as a sanctuary for law-breakers and social misfits - an army made up of fugitives escaping another life, “men with nothing to lose”.

Today, the French Foreign Legion continues to operate as a distinct and maverick force within the French military. New recruits are now checked, but only those wanted for serious crimes are screened out. In return for anonymity, refuge, and a monthly salary, the French Foreign Legion demands total dedication. A recruit must sign his life away for a minimum of five years. His passport is confiscated and he may choose a new name. There is no turning back.

French Guiana, a tropical French colony on the equator between Venezuela and Brazil, is home to the Legion's third Regiment. 850 Legionnaires are stationed here, from 60 different countries. Many have come here to forget. Unhappiness, debts, families, violence, rejection. Some come to prove themselves or simply for adventure.

The Legion is still full of petty criminals, alimony dodgers and mercenaries. But, as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. A lot can happen in five years. Once the brutal training is complete, life for the Legionnaires stationed in French Guiana is no picnic. Shark-infested seas, deadly snakes, tropical diseases and 20-foot crocodiles await.