日本摄影记者芥川（林子祥）三年后重返刚刚解放的越南采访，遍地的生机令他心生欢喜，但当他无意间走进城市的另一隅结识当地女孩琴娘（马斯晨）后，方知之前所见不过是越共政府特意为他这样的外国记者安排的粉饰太平的假像。在琴娘并非刻意的“导游”下，越南平民百姓正处于水深火热中的悲惨生活逐渐被芥川尽收眼底。琴娘一家人、战后唯一留下来的某酒吧的老板娘（缪骞人）及她的正想方设法逃离越南的情人祖明（刘德华）等人的被越共任意践踏的自尊强烈地触动着芥川敏感善良的心，尽管他并无彻底改变他们命运的能力，却仍是尽力给予帮助。

一名退役士兵在为遇害的家人复仇后被捕入狱，而在他出狱后得到了秘密政府部门的招募。

パトリック・クエンティン原作、新藤兼人脚本、増村保造監督。岡田茉莉子共演。二大女優が火花を散らす、と言っても同じフレームに映るのは２シーン、それも同じ場所でしかない。二人が逆の役をやっていても、もちろん一局の碁だったろうけれど、ここでの若尾ちゃんは全く隙のない硬質な演技で、清く正しくを心情とする女性が、醜く不正にまみれた現実を知った時にどうそれと向き合うかという難しい役になりきっていた。

This is commonly known as Jean Renoir's first American film (1941), although Renoir scholar Alexander Sesonske has established that Renoir's creative role in the project was severely hampered by producer Darryl F. Zanuck and that he didn't regard much of the film as his own. (The ending, for instance, was written by Zanuck and directed by Irving Pichel.) Nevertheless, the film has certain beauties and pleasures. Part of it was shot in Georgia's Okefenokee swamp, and the treatment of the small community living ~Censored~ is often pungent and distinctive.