Mr. Ming, a Kuala Lumpur cinema owner, hates the British. He joined the Malayan Communist Party during the Japanese occupation and now runs branch meetings in his theater. Lee, his cinema's poster painter, is a regular fixture at the meetings because he uses elements of his surroundings in his work. Consequently, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and more begin to appear with revolutionaries' faces outside the theater. In 1948, the Malayan Politburo authorizes attacks on British plantations, and Ming leads his branch into the jungle as a platoon. Lee, meanwhile, loses his job when the cinema comes under new ownership. From then on, he works odd jobs as his father showers him with disapproval. One day, Lee drives through the jungle to dig wells at a village when he is ambushed. Almost two years after their last meeting, Ming's platoon emerges from the trees. They give him a choice: join them or die. He chooses the former, after which he dutifully sketches their exploits for propaganda purposes. As the British protect their plantations more effectively and morale falls, the platoon begins to falter. Starved, they begin to attack villages. At one point, Ming steals rice from a man and forces him to watch his pregnant wife die. British propaganda and offers of reconciliation tempt them sorely. Many of them are captured in a British ambush; only Lee and Ming escape. Two days later, Lee shows up at a train with Ming's head—he wants the reward. From then on, he records and produces propaganda for the British, supports his family, and lives well. For the first time, he is happy.