During World War II, a small English community are forced to flee when Japanese forces invade Burma. Paterson, the manager of a rice-mill, organises the evacuation and takes with him his Burmese mistress and her young brother. Inevitably, as the journey continues, bitterness, tension and insoluble c...

During World War II, a small English community are forced to flee when Japanese forces invade Burma. Paterson, the manager of a rice-mill, organises the evacuation and takes with him his Burmese mistress and her young brother. Inevitably, as the journey continues, bitterness, tension and insoluble conflict unfold.