When young Jim Richards left the army to make to chase a dream, he had no language skills, no money and no idea, just the kind of gold lust that has driven fortune hunters throughout history. And when he struck gold and diamonds in the remote rivers of Guyana, his problems and his success grew in equal measure. Jim Richards has done it all: dived for diamonds in the piranha-infested rivers of South America; discovered a fabulously rich goldmine in the Australian outback; got caught up in the world's biggest mining scam in Indonesia; and even started a gold rush in the war-torn jungles of Laos. Jim Richards has gone on to found a string of successful mining businesses. Today he is one of the industry's most respected executives – although his many enemies would disagree.