In April 1994 the airplane of the Hutu President of Rwanda crashes and the Hutu militias slaughter the Tutsi population. In the Ecole Technique Officielle, Christopher, a Catholic priest and Joe Connor, an idealistic English teacher give sanctuary to twenty-five hundred Rwandans survivors in the school, which is under the protection of the UN Belgian force and under siege from the Hutu militia. When the Tutsi refugees are abandoned by the UN, they are murdered by the extremist militia.

Special features: Audio commentary by director Michael Caton-Jones; audio commentaries by writer David Wolstencroft and producer David Belton; the making of Beyond the gates; trailers.