A disillusioned and raggedy American reporter and his drunken photojournalist partner are the last to see three Japanese schoolgirls who disappear into Taroko Gorge, Taiwan's largest national park. The journalists--who are themselves suspects-- investigate the disappearance along with the girls' homeroom teacher, their bickering classmates, and a seasoned and wary Taiwanese detective. The conflicts between them--complicated by the outrageousness of the photographer and the raging hormones of the young--raise questions of personal responsibility, truthfulness, and guarded self-interest.