Reluctant Betrayals

‘I began to lose my innocence, very quietly, one morning when I met Nicole Marchand near the post office. By chance, that was also the day the articles began...’

Cambodia, 1966 – before the Khmer Rouge. A haven of peace in a war-torn Asia, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the country’s flamboyant leader, cries out as the Vietnam War next door threatened to engulf the entire region.  

To young French-Australian journalist Philippe Roche, newly arrived in Phnom Penh to kick off his career, life seems to be full of promise: his first job, his first taste of freedom and adventure after the constraints of 1960s Australia, a warm, welcoming, permissive ambience. But even as he falls under the spell of this exotic land, enjoying the last of its golden years before it too is drawn into the maelstrom, dangers lurk beneath the surface. Plunging into a secret affair with a captivating older woman, before long he is forced to confront his own contradictions and choose between conflicting loyalties as dark undercurrents of international politics threaten to tear his life apart and he comes close to death. What sacrifices will he have to make to be true to his word and protect the woman he loves and the memory of the man who saves his life?