Dr. Laura Bowman is desperate to flee the United States and after her husband and son's have been murdered. Her sister Andy persuades her to go on a visit to the East to shake things off. Eventually the two get stranded in Burma.
It’s 1988 and the at first peaceful protests against the Burma’s military government take a more violent turn. Andy and the rest of their party flee in a hurry, but Laura is forced to stay behind when she loses her passport at a political ralley. On her own for a few days she is befriended by a group of dissidents and gets caught up in the political struggle. A former professor offers her guidance to the border of Thailand, where they both hope to make their escape. As they travel through Burma, the two witness many bloody acts of repression by the dictatorship.