The Venter family are split. The women and children are at home, working on the farm. The men are away, fighting the British in the second Boer war. Life is hard, but the cause makes it worth the sacrifice. Then a detachment of 'Tommies' arrives at the Venter's farm, takes the family captive and transfers them to a prison camp. What follows is an intimate, emotional story of a family's survival, told through the eyes of 14-year-old Alletta, the strong, innocent eldest daughter.