Written by Justin Hardy and Peter Guinness, it nevertheless cites its sources from eyewitness accounts of people who were there at the time.
Brigadier Glyn Hughes (played by Corin Redgrave) tells his men that typhus is the main concern, and that this will be dealt with by Lt Col James Johnston (Iain Glen), a highly respected officer who has performed heroic deeds in the past.
The British army have arranged a truce with the Germans to try to contain the spreading infection; eventually Johnston (Iain Glen) forces the SS to remove the corpses for burial.
The rabbi, Leslie Hardman, is desperate to help the inmates, but when he smuggles totally inappropriate food to them, he does more harm than good, and many die.
Eventually, after a raid on the hospital by the Luftwaffe, Gonin challenges Johnston's competence, calling him a "pen-pusher", but he has loyal friends who point to his past bravery.
Medical students arrive at the camp to feed the inmates a special "Bengal Famine mixture" that has been sent over from India.
Despite several setbacks many inmates are fit enough to prepare to leave the camp, and the women are kitted out in second-hand clothes from a makeshift "shop" called "Harrods".