In 1980s South Africa, it is compulsory for white males aged sixteen and above to serve in the military for two years. Nicholas signs up in 1981, a time of political turmoil in the country: the white minority is locked in a conflict at the Angolan border, and the threats of communism and �the black danger� are at its most potent. He, however, has more important things to worry about. The military is not a place for someone like him, and it doesn�t help that he starts to forge a mutual understanding with a fellow recruit while he is inside.