For years, it has been described as a deteriorating situation. Now, the cities across South Africa are battlefields. The members of the Smales family, liberal whites, are rescued from the terror by their servant July, who leads them to his home village. What happens to the Smales and to July, the changes in character and relationships, provides us with an unforgettable insight into the terrifying, silent understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.