Terminal Island

Carmen is dropped off by guards on a boat, with no guards waiting on the island to greet her. She steps into a lawless, rough landscape where survival seems to hinge on how quickly she adapts. The island itself feels like a harsh new world separate from the mainland.

The first prisoner she meets is Milford, a former doctor sentenced for mercy killing. He hints at the brutal social order and the harsh fates that await those who arrive on Terminal Island. His calm, clinical tone contrasts with the island's violence and chaos.

Carmen is brought into a camp where two dominant prisoners, Bobby and Monk, control the group. The men watch each other for strength and impose painful rules that the new arrivals must learn to endure. She begins to understand the precarious balance of power on the island.

Monk launches a surprise assault on Carmen, testing her resolve and signaling how dangerous appearances can be on the island. No one from the other prisoners comes to her aid, leaving her to confront the threat alone. The attack immediately establishes the peril the women face.

Carmen befriends Lee, Bunny, and Joy and learns of their distinct roles and personalities. Lee is a revolutionary, Bunny is catatonic, and Joy is openly promiscuous. The women describe their duties: serving male prisoners and laboring in the fields.

The camp guards spell out that the women's duties include servicing the male prisoners and working in the fields. The announcement makes the power imbalance explicit and sets the tone for daily life. Survival means accepting these enforced roles.

Monk orders Bunny to service Bobby, highlighting how the island weaponizes sexuality and control. Bunny's role becomes a catalyst for tension within the camp. The arrangement foreshadows the dangers the women will face when interacting with the prisoner hierarchy.

The male prisoners continue to kill each other in fights, underscoring the brutal environment of Terminal Island. The violence frequently shifts power and fear from one faction to another. Carmen watches these events shape the camp's fragile order.

Some men from AJ and Cornell's faction kidnap the women, forcing alliances and shifting loyalties. Dylan attempts to rape Joy, but is fought off in the struggle. The incident intensifies the danger the women face and accelerates their bonds with the male captors.

The women begin forming relationships with the men, with Carmen bonding with AJ. Joy later exacts revenge on Dylan by dousing him in honey and releasing bees to sting him. These relationships complicate loyalties and deepen the island's tensions.

The rebels prepare an assault on the main prisoners, and Lee explains how they could make weapons to level the playing field. The plan marks a turning point as the island's factions move from coercion to organized resistance. The looming battle promises dramatic clashes.

Bunny rejoins the main group and is flogged by the sea as punishment. Bobby lures visiting prison guards onto the beach where they are killed, and Bobby and his men seize the guards' guns. The brutal tactic demonstrates how control can be gained through calculated violence.

A large battle erupts between the rebels and the main group, with heavy casualties on both sides, including Cornell and Dylan. Bobby and Monk retreat to a bunker, but the rebels assault it with a firebomb. Bobby is killed and Monk is blinded in the ensuing chaos.

Bunny regains her ability to speak, signaling a rare moment of regained agency on the island. The turnaround is a small but meaningful shift amid ongoing danger and power struggles. The scene underscores the fragile progress the prisoners experience.

Dr. Milford turns down the opportunity to return to the mainland, choosing to stay among the inmates. His decision reinforces the isolation and stubborn loyalty that characterizes Terminal Island. The ending keeps him within the harsh world he helped reveal.