Cry, the Beloved Country

1946, South Africa. The imposition of apartheid is still two years away, and yet the prejudice and petty injustices are already well-developed. The ageing Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo works in a rural parish in Natal, among a wonderfully mountainous landscape and dirt poor people. James Jarvis, a staunchy right-wing white landowner, farms nearby, the fruitful land giving him a prosperous living. In Johannesburg, Absolom, Kumalo's son, has been involved in a bungled robbery resulting in the murder of a white man, a famous campaigner for black rights. Jarvis is devastated to learn that it is his son who is the victim.