"Howard" (Dirk Bogarde) arrives in colonial East Africa just as the Mau-Mau rebellion is gathering pace. His farm is adjacent to that of the "Crawford" family - Basil Sydney, Marie Ney and daughter "Mary" (Virginia McKenna). Fairly swiftly, their community starts to more fully appreciate the increasing dangers they face. As the native population become more audacious with their activities many want to flee, many want to try harder to work and share with their dispossessed African neighbours whilst others want to use the full force of "Insp. Drummond" (Donald Sinden) and his thinly spread police... lees de rest.