Summary: Systems of justice in different cultures are examined. Included - tribal justice in the West African nation of Togo and revenge killings in Albania.

Summary: In Iceland's traditional Thorrablot celebration in February, a chef prepares rotting shark meat, goat's head and other hard to swallow dishes for their traditional buffet. And in India, an Anglo-indian lady prepares a special luncheon that features a goat foetus stew called kutti pi. In Togo, the cameras follow hunters out into the hot wilderness to hunt a rat to be used in a stew and voodoo ritual. And finally in Taiwan, a chef prepares bull's penis soup to boost his diner's virility.

Summary: Unusual medical procedures include bee stings for arthritis; putting maggots in open wounds; medicine made from baboon claws; therapy with leeches.

Summary: Death ceremonies from around the world are examined. Included - the Aghori sect in India embraces corpses in an effort to break the cycle of reincarnation; in Taiwan, bones are exhumed and cleaned before being reburied. Also - embalming bodies in the U.S.

Summary: On the island off the coast of Indonesian Sumatra, the wife of the Mentawi tribe chieften, undergoes a teeth filing ritual to beautify herself. Her teeth are sharpen with a machete. In Los Angeles, California, Jay wants to have buttock implants, and undergoes a 2 hour long surgery by Dr. Sinclair. Next, a man receives eye lifting surgery by Dr. Griffin to improve his looks. And in Chongqing, China, a short man has the bones in his legs broken, stretched, then healed to make himself taller. The 'bone breaking' and 'leg stretching' procedure is a painful and lengthy process and the recovery takes years.

Summary: Taboo examines how cultures sometimes use pain in religious rites including tongue boring in Nepal, self stabbing and possession rites in Indonesia, and extreme body piercing and self-mutilation in Thailand.

Summary: Taboo looks at rites of passage around the world including a boy's circumcision in South Africa, an Apache's girls ritual of womanhood, and American couple's journey into old age.

Summary: Taboo examines how people in different cultures raise children including young gymnasts in China, India children raised in prison, and unsupervised children in Indonesia.

Summary: Entertainment in different cultures. Included - the training of a Japanese geisha; cross-dressing cabaret performers of Thailand; American circus sideshow performers who pierce their bodies with skewers and chew glass.

Summary: Taboo looks at different family arrangement around the world including the matriarchal Mosuo tribe in China, criminal gang families in South Africa, and polyandry in northern India.

Summary: Ritualistic body modification in different cultures around the world is examined. Included - neck stretching in Thailand; samurai body tattoos in Japan; branding scarification in the U.S.

Summary: Some rites of initiation may seem bizarre and extreme, but many cultures believe they are worth the pain.