Sisters Under the Rising Sun

In October 1943, Mrs. Hinch learns from Sergeant Kato that the camp will move. Guards transport the nurses and the residents of a few additional houses to a new site with filthy barracks. The remaining women and children arrive the next day and are crowded into the huts. Norah and Audrey devise a sanitation system using kerosene tins and coconut shells to keep the drains clear. A boy named Jack helps them gather the coconuts needed for this endeavor.

Despite these efforts, disease spreads, and Margaret falls gravely ill. Nesta diagnoses dengue fever and treats her with minimal supplies. When Margaret slips into a coma, Norah gathers a small choir, including Ena, and they sing a Tchaikovsky piece originally intended for instruments at her bedside. Margaret wakes and credits the music for her recovery. Encouraged, Norah holds auditions and expands the group into a “voice orchestra,” planning a performance of Dvořák’s “Largo.”

Norah organizes the voice orchestra into sections and begins rehearsals in Camp III. As Margaret recovers, Norah enlists her help in arranging and transcribing various pieces. The orchestra gives its first concert a few days after Christmas, and the women respond with both tears and renewed energy.