Its plot was derived from one of José Rizal's character in the Spanish-language novel Noli Me Tangere or Touch Me Not.

The first part, Day, narrates the story of a pre-war barrio and its people in the Panay Island particularly in Iloilo.

The second part, Night, begins with the start of World War II in both the U.S. and the Philippines, and retells the story of the resistance movement against the occupying Japanese[1] military forces of the barrio people first seen in Day.

[1] First published in 1947, Javellana's novel sold 125,000 copies in the U.S. and was reprinted in paperback edition in Manila by Alemar's-Phoenix in 1976.

[2] It was adapted into the Filipino television play Malayo Pa Ang Umaga.