An ancient omen foretold that famine would strike Mizoram after the bamboo flowered, and sure enough, the portent proved to be true. A few years later, in 1966, Laldenga led the Mizo National Front (MNF) in an armed struggle for independence, attacking Indian military stations. The Indian Air Force immediately bombed the state in retaliation and for the next twenty years, the region suffered as rebels went underground, villagers were displaced, and army forces were dispatched in excessive numbers. The film covers the history up to the peace accord in 1986, the return of the rebels, and the transfer to peace, recording valuable testimony from the leaders of the MNF rebels (current politicians in power), former insurgents, former Assam Rifles (paramilitary forces), and Christian peace negotiators who lived through the turbulence of the times.