It's February 1942, and the Japanese Army has conquered Burma and is threatening to invade neighbouring India. Meanwhile, Gandhi is calling for the British to 'Quit India'.

In the town of Mayapore, Police Superintendent Ronald Merrick (Tim Pigott-Smith) arrives to search the sanctuary run by Sister Ludmila (Matyelok Gibbs), an expatriate Russian who cares for the poor, and immediately takes an interest in the sanctuary's latest guest- a young Indian who, the previous night, had been found dead drunk on the banks of the river that divides the Indian and British communities.

In response to Merrick's peremptory questions, the new arrival, Hari Kumar (Art Malk) claims in perfect English that he cannot understand his native tongue. Despite Sister Ludmila's attempts to mediate, Hari is taken into custody.