AllMovie

Until not so very long ago, European-ruled islands in the Caribbean had a very distinct class structure, with European-born whites at the top, followed by the local variety, mulattos of every kind in the middle, and fully ethnic people of color at the bottom. Despite that, in this film set in 1946, one of the more liberal British-born whites has allowed his twelve-year-old son Alan to become friends with two kids from the bottom of the social ladder. This gains the boy some brickbats from his schoolmates but otherwise seems not to be a problem. Jailin is a girl whom Alan is almost in love with. Kaiser is her older brother, and Alan's relationship with him is considerably edgier but still friendly. However, on the island around him, nonwhites are being given the vote for the first time, and interracial tensions are growing more dangerous. Outside events may dictate an early end to Alan's unusual friendships.