In 1993, a village near Cape Town, South Africa is engulfed in constant clashes between local blacks and the white Afrikaners. The church of Reverend Lekota (John Kani) provides a small sanctuary from the violence - one of the few places where both whites and blacks can come together.In the middle of the night, a band of Afrikaner mercenaries descends upon the township to attack the locals in a storm of gunfire. After years of such assaults, the locals are prepared and strike back against their attackers. Only one of the mercenaries escapes with his life, but he forces his way into a prayer service at Reverend Lekota's church where he seeks refuge and begs for mercy.Tensions build as an angry mob of black Freedom Fighters surrounds the church, demanding the mercenary is handed over and justice swiftly served. Hoping to quell the mounting aggression, Reverend Lekota invites the Freedom Fighters into his church on the condition there must be no violence. They listen to the story of Gerrit (Jan Ellis), an Afrikaner whose life was once consumed with hatred for black people.With the help of Reverend Lekota and a young volunteer named Celeste (Liezel Van Der Merwe), Gerrit was able to triumph over a lifetime of hatred, fear and violence and become a harbinger for peace. The crowd recognizes that Gerrit serves as a symbol of the redemption that is possible for South Africa. Despite their anger, the townspeople spare the life of the mercenary and are filled with a renewed hope for unity between the races.