Set in the milieu of an impending world war, the insouciant Filipino aristocracy is oblivious of the forthcoming danger. They scorn the Japanese capability against the formidable Americans. But panic grips everyone when the news of the fall of Corregidor comes, except the knowledgeable Don Claudio Ojeda who remains sensible. The Ojeda family evacuates to Hacienda Lorenzo, home to a landed family friend in Negros, where they feel safe to continue their nonchalance while playing the mahjong. But soon the invading Japanese army arrives driving them into the mountains. Still, they try to hang on to their privileged life without realizing that all are equal in time of war. Meanwhile, Lorenzo’s often berated subservient and former field supervisor has turned bandit and, with his men, divests them of their valuables, food and chastity. Soon, they realize that war can bring out the animal instinct in man.