Young, passionate and idealistic, Sister Marie rejects the conformity of her first love, Paul Tan, the police inspector. She embraces the liberalism of her second love, Hans Kuhn, the American missionary, and leads a group of students to question the values of a nation gripped by fear of the government and loss of their rice bowl. They organise a protest march against the Vietnam War, which leads to a riot, detention and deportation of the workers she tries to help. Ser Mei, her student and the daughter of a prostitute, meets a tragic death.