In the crucible of war, men can kill without remorse. But the pressures of violence can also foster a bond between enemies even between captive and jailer until the lines of their conflict are obscured.

So it is for Lieutenant-Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti), a British officer fluent in Japanese language and culture, tolerated by his captors and resented by his fellow prisoners. The precarious truce between the two sides becomes unsettled when headstrong and indomitable Major Celliers (David Bowie) enters the camp and the Japanese immediately set out to break him. Lawrence is drawn into the battle of wills as the conditions for the prisoners worsen and both he and Celliers become the target for punishment and torture culminating in the sadistic Sgt. Hara (Takeshi) offering Lawrence a Christmas present.