Richard Attenborough won a BAFTA for his role in John Guillermin's drama as RSM Lauderdale, martinet of the sergeants' mess of a British army garrison in one of Britain's last remaining African colonies. When a coup d'état is declared by British-educated Lt Boniface, the British officers, including Lt Col John Deal, find themselves caught in a tricky political situation. But for someone like Lauderdale, with his entrenched values and beliefs, duty calls before any compromise, as he prepares to defend those for whom he is responsible.