It tells the story of her father Major Ben Wheeler when he was captured by the Japanese during the Second World War.
Major Ben Wheeler was a Canadian doctor assigned to Singapore when the Japanese forced an unconditional surrender of the British in 1942.
The story is conveyed from two perspectives: the narration of Ben Wheeler's diary (by Donald Sutherland) with dramatized scenes of life in the camp and archival footage of related events, and the vivid, personal stories of Dr. Wheeler's surviving fellow POWs.
Dr Wheeler is the protagonist who is portrayed as the major reason the other British POWs survived, both physically and mentally.
In fact, the final interviewee provides some insightful revelation on how he and his comrades perceive their captors, and the effect of his experience on his life.