The film is set in a Japanese prisoner of warlabour camp where the inmates are building the Burma Railway during the last three and a half years of World War II.

The screenplay is based on the autobiography of Ernest Gordon and recounts the experiences of faith and hope of the interned men. The autobiography was originally published under the name Through the Valley of the Kwai, then later as Miracle on the River Kwai (not to be confused with the separate novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle). Gordon's book was finally re-issued with the title To End All Warsto tie in with the film.
http://youtu.be/yjTSZTdY1Uk