Veteran journalist "Fowler" (Sir Michael Caine) is coming to the end of his time in Vietnam. Despite the fact that French colonial influence is waning and the Americans are desperate to stop the Communist insurgents, his employers just don't think he needs to be on-site to file his dwindling number of reports. He has a local interest in "Phuong" (Do The Hai Yen) though, and wants to stay put while he organises a divorce from his British wife. To keep his bosses at bay, he organises a trip up country to interview the powerful "General Thé" (Huang Hai) to get the lowdown on what is really happen...