A documentary looking at the transfer of the Batonka people of the Zambezi valley to new homes because of the creation of Lake Kariba. It starts off with footage shot in 1956 and looks at the Batonka tribe, with scenes of village life and a small boy herding goats. Footage is shown of the building of the Kariba Dam, and an investigation into what would happen to the Batonka people when Kariba was flooded. District Commissioner Ivor Cockcroft is shown talking to villagers about the movement of the Batonka villages, and a village meeting and shots of Cockcroft's mobile camp are seen. The aims of bringing change to the Batonkas are outlined - to change the Batonka economy to a more modern agricultural system, to build more roads to open up otherwise virgin territory, and getting rid of tsetse flys in the area through spraying. The Batonka are shown choosing new village sites and clearing them for the eventual move, and being medically inspected before leaving. Scenes are shown of the packing up of the village, the deserted village and the villagers moving off with their belongings in lorries, and the villagers working in the new village. The film then continues by looking at the situation ten years on. At the District Commissioner's Headquarters the organisation of the development of the Batonka region is planned, and shots of new bridges, road building and road gangs eating by the wayside are shown. Also looked at are a Government dispensary, with treatment of the Batonka for trachoma; a Native school, and the unwillingness of villagers to send daughters and shots of children dancing after school. Footage is also shown of the shores of Lake Kariba. The film follows the District Commissioner on a motor launch around Lake Kariba, stopping off at a fishing village, with natives planting maize, and a look at planned irrigation schemes and a pilot one in operation. There are shots of Batonka fishermen using gill nets and metal boats with outboard motors, developing a new trade in fish. A funeral ceremony of the Batonka is also seen.