William Nessen, an American freelance journalist, travels to Aceh to cover the conflict which had been ongoing since 1976.

At this point, Nessen had no plans for a film, but recorded footage which he intended to sell to television networks.

Gaining the trust of General Darmono, Nessen was able to obtain information and opportunities to film that were unavailable to most other journalists.

[1][4] During this period he fell in love with a trusted military translator, Sya’diah Syeh Marhaban, who was a spy for the separatist movement.

Only a few days after the wedding Nessen's best man, a human rights activist, was kidnapped and murdered by Indonesian security forces.

After being ordered to stop reporting from rebel held areas, Nessen spent weeks running from the authorities.

A year after the film's release, Nessen was invited to visit his wife's relatives in Aceh.

It has been shown at a range of other venues, including film festivals and presentations that William Nessen has given on the subject.