This is the story of Eric Lomax, a devoted railway enthusiast, who grew up in Scotland. In 1941 he was sent to Malaya with the Royal Corps of Signals. Taken prisoner after the fall of Singapore, he was put to work on the infamous Burma-Siam railway, which cost the lives of 250,000 men. There he helped to build an illicit radio, so that the prisoners could follow the news of the war. The discovery of the radio by the Japanese led to torture and...

Based on an autobiography, this film tells the true story of Eric Lomax, a British Army officer who is captured by the Japanese during WWII and sent to a POW camp, where he is tortured and forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway. Years later, and still suffering the psychological trauma of his wartime experiences, Lomax is persuaded by his wife Patti to find and confront one of his captors. Accompanied by his best friend, Lomax returns to the scene...