Sisters Under the Rising Sun

In April 1942, at Camp II in Palembang, Captain Miachi announces that local guards will replace the Japanese soldiers. The nurses celebrate, especially the four who had been forced to sexually service officers. Dr. McDowell later tells Nesta that Commodore Modin protested from a nearby men’s camp to secure their safety. On Ena’s eighth wedding anniversary, she and Norah discuss how much they miss and fear for their husbands. Nesta in turn confides to Norah and Ena that she cares for Dr. Richard Bayley, or Dr. Rick. Later, Ena writes a letter to her husband, Ken, which Norah saves for her.

Quietly, the nurses start making a secret mah-jongg set as a Christmas gift for Nesta; it is one of several homemade presents created as the holiday approaches. During a rehearsal for a Christmas concert, some Dutch women interned in the camp report that they saw English-speaking male prisoners working nearby. The women make contact, and the men promise to pass by again. For several days, the women gather at the jungle edge to sing carols as the prisoners pass. On the last day, the men call their goodbyes; Norah and Ena shout for John and Ken but hear no reply.