The Glass Palace

Arjun and the other officers are informed that Japan is about to enter the war and are preparing to attack Malaya. The battalion is to form a preemptive defense in an attempt to ward off an attack. Arjun studies the maps, excited that his years of training will suddenly be put to the test. Unable to sleep, he finds a radio and hears reports of conflicts. The newsreader announces an attack in Signora, the town where the battalion is headed the next day. He wakes his commanding officer. The Japanese strike at a nearby airbase with uncanny precision and troops begin to desert.

Dinu spends the night in the house of Ilongo’s mother. With time to kill before his train departs, he takes a bicycle to photograph the view from the top of the mountain. From the mountaintop, he sees Japanese airplanes pass overhead. Worried, he searches for Alison. Ilongo is helping the worried villagers and Dinu must wait for him to finish before they can drive to Sungei Puttani to search for Alison.

They pass worried villagers on the roadside. Alison is nowhere to be found so they return to Morningside. Dinu delays his departure until he can be sure that Alison is unharmed. Her car arrives at sunset and they begin shouting at one another immediately. Alison reveals that the roads are blocked, preventing Dinu’s departure. They reconcile, though Alison is hesitant about revealing the truth about what happened with Arjun during the day.

Arjun’s battalion is moved north, preparing to stop a Japanese advance through Siam. They dig trenches along the highway near a rubber plantation, though the terrain and the weather complicate matters. Hardy shares rumors of a mutiny nearby. As night approaches, they come under sniper fire. At dawn, Japanese planes drop propaganda pamphlets onto Arjun’s forces, asking the Indian soldiers why they are fighting for an imperial army. The artillery thunders down on their position for hours.

Manju is shaken awake by Neel, who brings news of the invasion. Though he has heard nothing from Dinu or Arjun, radio reports place Arjun’s division in the thick of the battle. A representative of the Indian community in Rangoon tells the family about evacuation plans that are afoot. Rajkumar, who is preparing to sell his stockpiled timber at a handsome profit, is shocked but self-assured. His confidence is reassuring to Manju.

Arjun relays an order to his battalion: they are to fall back to a defensive line. The artillery fire stops long enough for Japanese tanks to fall on their new position. As the first tank fires, Arjun is rooted to the spot. At the last moment, he dives for cover. The Japanese lay waste to the battalion’s vehicles with ease. Arjun finds himself all alone, his comrades killed or missing.