At 2.00 a.m. on August 5, 1944, over one thousand Japanese prisoners stormed the barbed wire barricades of the POW camp near Cowra in New South Wales. Two hundred and thirty one were killed, most of them cut own by Australian bullets – and many died by their own hand. Over three hundred escaped into the bush and were gradually rounded up by the Australian Army, assisted by police and local citizens. This historic and true event is the background for this novel. Waiting in Cowra for the break to come is Tom Boyd, who was taken by surprise when the Japanese invaded Papua New Guinea and has his own motives for revenge and hatred. Among the Japanese who escape is Kantaro Tomochika, a soldier who has been brought up to live by the code of the samuri. Through these central characters, a deeper understanding is offered of the nature of revenge and a sympathetic picture of the Japanese mindset of death and dishonour.