At a crucial time in Papua New Guinea’s journey to Independence, Lester Chettle, a junior solicitor from Sydney, Australia, in 1969 accepts a position as a Crown Prosecutor in the then Australian administered Territory of Papua and New Guinea. He is posted to Rabaul, capital of the Territory’s East New Britain District.

Mass demonstrations in Rabaul, and clashes among rival groups in the villages, herald Chettle’s arrival, as the Australian Administration is confronted by an uprising of the Tolai people of East New Britain against colonial rule. It is led by the Mataungan Association, a group of young, charismatic leaders with thousands of supporters.

As Chettle struggles with racist attitudes in Rabaul and a colonial legal system at odds with traditional culture, he meets and falls in love with an Australian missionary’s daughter. His close friend, an English doctor, also falls in love with her, but she refuses to choose between them.

Chettle must support the Administration and its hard line in suppressing the uprising, despite his misgivings. The daughter takes his side. The doctor, at once charming and reckless, is all for immediate self-government.

Meanwhile, as the uprising gathers strength, Rabaul faces its own crisis…