The Sleeping Dictionary

The story of a tempestuous and forbidden love affair between a young Englishman and a beautiful Iban tribeswoman. When John Truscott takes a job in the British colonial outpost of Sarawak, he is given a native servant; Selima who teaches him the local language but also shares his bed. This accepted tradition is monitored closely by Johns crusty superior Henry Bullard and his wife Aggie to ensure that no romantic attachments occur. When John and Selima fall openly and passionately in love, the colonial authorities and the native population turn against them unleashing a chain of events that test their resolve to the very limit.