Anya has been backpacking in the Spice Islands, but her last postcard home arrived months ago. Now her anxious father, Francesco, has gone in search of her. Almost within sight of land, the ferry he's travelling on sinks and Francesco and two other Europeans are washed ashore on the island Anya was heading for. They are immediately arrested but when Francesco shows the local police captain a photo of himself with the country's president they are swiftly released under surveillance. Francesco has unwittingly unleashed a deadly chain of events that leaves them all at the mercy of the conflicting ambitions of the Christian police chief and the Muslim army colonel.