On his 78th birthday, Eddie is giving himself his traditional birthday shave, when his jaw begins to ache. He finds himself thinking back to his final year in Changi, when his wisdom tooth became infected, and he unwillingly attracted the attention of the violent and malicious Captain Shindo.

As an old man, Gordon is the victim of a stroke that paralyses him down one side. His condition reminds Gordon of the time in Changi when he refused to salute Lieutenant Aso, forcing a major confrontation. Aso places Gordon on a box in the middle of the compound and tries, with a series of increasingly violent acts, to make him salute. Gordon's mates devise a plan to save their friend and make a bit on the side at the same time.

Now a retired property developer, David Collins has never been able to remember all that happened to him as a POW, but as the date for the reunion draws closer, he begins to recall his horrific ordeal. In his first year at camp, David is badly beaten, suffering temporary blindness. Left by the side of the road, he is picked up by Japanese guards, taking a group of hapless locals to be shot.

On his final day as a University Professor, Bill Dwyer is visited by a young student who looks remarkably like the girl he fell in love with before the war. He begins to reminisce with her about his missing years in Changi, telling her about the time he and his mates got their own back on the Japanese, the day the camp was visited by a General.

As he practices for his impending driving test, Old Curley is thrown into a panic by an impatient driver behind him. His mind returns to Changi and the time he was caught stealing food. Thrown into 'The Hole' and left to rot in the dark for six weeks, Curley must try not to lose his mind, while his mates desperately think of a way to give him hope.

For Tom the prospect of the forthcoming reunion is a mixed blessing: He loves seeing his old mates, but hates where they take him – back to the last night of the war.