Honor. Duty. Respect. These three military traditions are in jeopardy at a British regiment stationed in colonial India at the end of the nineteenth century. A new recruit is charged with dishonorable conduct when a beautiful widow (Susannah York) is attacked. In an attempt to prevent a public court-martial the superior officers (Richard Attenborough Stacy Keach and Christopher Plummer) set up an internal hearing. Can an idealistic young officer (Michael York) defend the a