In the Straits of Sembaleng, a small, determined team of five men is dispatched by submarine in Klepper canoes to reach a nearby island that lies behind enemy lines. Their mission is delicate and dangerous: rescue the survivors of a plane crash that has drawn the attention of the Imperial Japanese Army. The group is led by an eager but green officer, Paul Kelly, who carries the weight of command as they slip ashore and quietly stash their kayaks before pressing inland. The operation relies on stealth and quick decisions, and the tension among the men is palpable from the moment they set foot on the island’s soil.
Early on, the team faces sudden danger when Ted 'Kingo' King is struck by fire from an unseen machine gun post. In a swift and grim turn, the four remaining men react with precision, eliminating the Japanese defenders and carrying their wounded comrade back to relative safety. The brutality of combat is underscored by a stark choice: King’s leg injury leaves him vulnerable to capture, which would jeopardize the entire mission. After sharing a cigarette with him to steady nerves and mark a fragile camaraderie, Costello makes a fateful decision to shoot King rather than allow him to be captured. The act underscores the brutal moral calculus that the mission demands.
As the survivors press onward, the team gains a glimpse of the broader toll of war through a rice farmer they encounter. The locals’ knowledge of the land is essential, but it also carries its own risks, and the farmer is killed to protect the secrecy of the operation. The sense of secrecy grows heavier as the team approaches their destination, and the landscape itself seems to press in around them.
When a Japanese squad is spotted at a nearby house, the team moves quickly to exploit the temporary lull that follows their departure. Inside, they meet Lin, a local resistance leader, along with his grown daughter Chien Hua and her younger siblings. A guiding hand is found in Lin’s presence, and with him the team gains a better sense of the island’s internal dynamics as they push toward the crash site. The mission becomes more than a rescue; it becomes a conduit for local resistance and a fragile alliance with Lin’s circle.
Tensions intensify at a Buddhist temple where Japanese soldiers launch an attack as the group moves closer to the plane. In the confusion, the soldiers split up, and interpreter Jan Veitch ends up back at Lin’s house. Chien Hua takes on a protective role, shielding him from the returning Japanese. The violence around them continues to claim lives, and the team’s own ranks are thinned by death and injury. Costello sustains a severe wound to the arm during the ensuing firefight and, cornered by a machine gunner, throws a grenade to cover a retreat—an act that costs him his life.
With the plane now within sight, the team contends with alternate routes and hidden dangers. Kelly works to persuade Lin to reveal the whereabouts of the two plane survivors, learning that they are being taken to Lin’s home. The group pivots, turning back toward the capital to intercept the convoy and gather more information. The local resistance’s role becomes clearer, and the dynamic between Lin’s faction and Kelly’s contingent grows more complex as they maneuver through a landscape marked by suspicion and shifting loyalties.
Back in the capital, Veitch is guided to the survivors, among them a defector from the Japanese government named Imoguchi. His presence promises a potential turning point in the war, a secret that could bring the conflict to a swifter end. The resolve of Kelly, now tested to its core, is called upon again: he must rescue Imoguchi at all costs—or accept the consequences of failing to do so. The plan requires not only courage but a risky alignment with the local resistance, convincing them that the prisoner’s value justifies the ongoing struggle.
As the pieces of the intertwined tale begin to align, Kelly faces the most difficult part of his duty: convincing both his own men and the local resistance that Imoguchi’s secret warrants the risk and that continuing to fight the Japanese forces on this island is essential. The narrative builds toward a conclusion where loyalty, sacrifice, and the harsh realities of war collide, forcing decisions that could alter the fate of the mission and, possibly, the broader war effort. The balance between secrecy, courage, and a hopeful, if costly, alliance remains at the heart of the film’s unfolding drama.
