A British soldier (Forest Whitaker) kidnapped by the IRA soon befriends one of his captors (Stephen Rea), who then becomes drawn into the soldier's London world through his erstwhile captive’s partner (Jaye Davidson). Many years before the wider debate around “Trans Rights” the film anticipates the now familiar blurred lines around gender identification. Neil Jordan has identified the inspiration of Frank O’Connor’s short story Guests of the Nation in the film which secured him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
