Out on a Limb is an autobiographical book that details MacLaine's journeys through new-age spirituality. The book follows McLaine from California to various locations including New York, Hawaii, and Europe, culminating in a life-changing trip to the Andes mountains in Peru. Central "characters" include "David" who is, according to MacLaine herself, a composite character, "Gerry Stamford", a married man and member of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, with whom McLaine was having an affair, and real-life close friend and politician, Bella Abzug.