ðə fˈɪlm ɪz bˈeɪst ˈɔn "dˈænsɪŋ wɪððə dˈɛvəl: ɐ pˈɜːsənəl ɐkˈaʊnt ʌv pəlˈiːsɪŋ ðɪ ˈiːst tˈiːmoːɹ vˈoʊt fɔːɹ ˌɪndᵻpˈɛndəns", wˌɪtʃ wʌz ɹˈɪʔn̩ baɪ dˈeɪvɪd sˈævɪdʒ, ɐn ɔːstɹˈeɪliən fˈɛdɚɹəl pəlˈiːs ˈɑːfɪsɚ hˌuː wʌz bˈeɪst ɪn mˌæliˈɑːnə dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə vˈoʊt ænd wˌɛɹ ðə fˈɪkʃənəl "nʌnjˈʊɹɹə" ɪz bˈeɪst, hˌuː ɹᵻtˈɜːnd tʊ ˈiːst tˈiːmoːɹ tə lˈiːd ɪnvˌɛstɪɡˈeɪʃənz ˌɪntʊ ðə kɹˈaɪmz ɐɡˈɛnst hjuːmˈænᵻɾi kəmˈɪɾᵻd ðˈɛɹ.
The film is based on "Dancing with the Devil: A Personal Account of Policing the East Timor Vote for Independence", which was written by David Savage, an Australian Federal Police Officer who was based in Maliana during the vote and where the fictional "Nunura" is based, who returned to East Timor to lead investigations into the crimes against humanity committed there.