Shot clandestinely as a "commercial travelogue" to evade apartheid authorities, Rogosin's docufiction follows Zachariah, a black South African who leaves rural KwaZulu-Natal for Johannesburg's gold mines. Through Zachariah's experiences—obtaining pass documents, enduring dehumanizing work conditions, struggling to maintain family unity—Rogosin exposes apartheid's systematic violence. The film combines documentary footage of township life with scripted scenes featuring non-professional actors playing versions of themselves. Its centerpiece is an intellectual debate in a shebeen (illegal bar) featuring journalists, writers, and a young Miriam Makeba performing. When authorities destroy Zachariah's family through forced removals and violence, his anguished cry becomes both personal tragedy and collective indictment. This hybrid film provided international audiences unprecedented witness to apartheid's daily brutalities.