Paradise Road

With the invasion of Singapore by Japan in 1942, many foreign women and children – mostly relatives of soldiers and expatriates – were forced to flee. One such group, including Adrienne Partiger, was shipwrecked, captured and placed in a prisoner-of-war camp. There, the deplorable conditions and harsh treatment by the guards drive many of the prisoners to become despondent.  In order to help ease the burden of imprisonment, and especially to nurture a sense of hope and home, Partiger and some of the other women form a “vocal band”. Singing is strictly forbidden in the camp, but with courage and some clever wordplay, the women manage to organize and perform.