Sisters Under the Rising Sun

On Christmas morning, Norah and Ena give June a handmade doll while Norah struggles with memories of Sally. Meanwhile, local guards deliver baskets of food sent by English male prisoners, and Margaret Dryburgh and Mrs. Hinch lead a prayer of thanks. The nurses host a Christmas meal, sharing what they have to make the day festive. After the meal, the nurses exchange gifts. Nesta receives the mah-jongg set and cries as the others comfort her.

On New Year’s Eve, Nesta gives an emotional speech acknowledging the strength and sacrifices of the nurses, who steady her when she is overcome. Some younger nurses have a brief party in The Shed before guards shut it down. The women sing “Auld Lang Syne” on their way back to their houses, leading Norah and Ena to recall past holidays with their parents and husbands. That night, however, Norah has a nightmare about soldiers chasing her.

In early 1943, Captain Miachi announces that there will be an important visitor the following day. He orders a full camp cleanup, providing only scissors for the task of cutting the grass, and tells the women to cover their skin. Guards impose this harsh dress code, scolding a young nurse named Wilma. Mrs. Hinch distributes more “modest” clothing to anyone whose outfit is deemed inappropriate but, in a show of protest, ensures that the women are dressed in absurd fashion; one wears a petticoat in her hair as the women assemble outside for inspection by the visiting delegation of officers.

In February, Miachi announces the return of some Japanese soldiers, who, he says, will be tasked with training the local guards. During one roll call, a soldier the women nickname Lipstick Larry slaps those he deems to be wearing makeup or immodest clothes. As he raises his hand to strike again, Nesta steps in and takes the blow. Afterward, the nurses discuss their fears that the officers' club will be reinstated. Vowing to resist this, the nurses sing “Waltzing Matilda,” and the entire camp soon joins in.

Later, Miachi offers the nurses a chance to write letters home, though they are skeptical that the letters will be delivered. At a roll call shortly afterward, guards seize boys showing signs of puberty and send them to the men’s camp, separating them from their mothers.

As the months pass, more internees from Singapore arrive at Camp II, causing severe overcrowding. Many of the women are Chinese and well dressed; Norah and her friend Audrey Owen see several of these women housed apart and conclude that they will be expected to sexually service the Japanese soldiers.

Around this time, Miachi informs Mrs. Hinch that he is permitting a local trader, Gho Leng, to sell goods at the camp. However, many of the women lack money or valuables; Ena and Norah, for instance, cannot even buy June the banana that she wants. Recognizing the problem, Margaret, Nesta, and Mrs. Hinch arrange a committee that will distribute and ration the purchased supplies.

As the anniversary of the Radji Beach Massacre approaches, Vivian Bullwinkel becomes withdrawn. Nesta and some of the other nurses propose organizing a remembrance service for the victims of Radji Beach. News of the service spreads, and the other women in the camp join and trade stories of their experiences; afterward, however, the nurses provide Vivian with space to share her story privately, and they exchange memories of their deceased friends.

Gho Leng eventually departs, and the situation in camp worsens. There is an outbreak of typhus, though the nurses catch it earlier and manage to contain it to one house. They tell Miachi that the well water is contaminated, and he allows the women to fetch water from a nearby spring.

By summer, famine conditions are intensifying. However, Vivian finds a nearby cemetery where locals leave food on graves as offerings. At night, Nesta and Norah slip out and bring back food for hungry children, including June. The Japanese replace Captain Miachi with a new commandant, Sergeant Major Kato, but this brings no relief. Typhus returns, along with an outbreak of dengue fever that soon causes the hospital to overflow. With morale low, Margaret Dryburgh tells a despairing internee to look up toward the beauty of the sky. Norah asks to borrow the phrase “look up” as a reminder to maintain hope.