In Ceylon, colonized by the British, an Indian Tamil woman describes the events that follow the departure of the British from the plantations. She imagines the possibility of a new world as the Indians reclaim their land. However, the reality that follows shows how the British values persist and are upheld by ethnic differences between the Indians on the plantation.

In colonial Angola, a Herero woman torn between her family and her oppressive white husband finds herself accused of disloyalty on all sides. Despite significant sacrifice, disaster ensues when she tries to honor both commitments.

An American couple travel to post-World-War-II Holland and meet a Dutch Holocaust survivor, now a doctor, who married to a French woman. The doctor's life is complicated by numerous affairs which leaves his wife unhappy.

A young Native American man visits a burial site on a nearby island and must reflect on both his allegiance to his culture and to himself.

When he discovers gold near his village, an African man dissatisfied with his lot in life develops new obsessions, flouts old responsibilities, and ultimately loses more than he gains.

As the People's Liberation Army ravages China, a resentful young woman charged with a strange mission leaves home to work in the city. Once there, she discovers terrifying connections between her rich new employer and the village she left behind.

A woman returns home to her family having just slept with another man. At dinner, her son gets into an argument with his father about their privilege. As the narrative moves back to the time they spent abroad in Nigeria, Burma and Ecuador, fractures in the family life are revealed.

While visiting a Jewish colony in Argentina, a man gives a lecture as part of an effort to revive Yiddish culture in the settlement. Afterward, he hears from locals the unexpectedly unrighteous history of life in the colony.

An Australian soldier spends several seasons stationed in a British Imperialist colony in Asia where he interacts with the city’s residents and comes to terms with the evils of imperialism.

A professor finds himself attracted to one of his students, allowing her to skip the final exams - but her resultant grade causes her to lash out at him and reveal harsh truths about his own life that he finds difficult to accept.