This biography looks at the post-independence history of Sri Lanka from 1948, through the eyes of prominent left wing activists: Lionel Bopage. This study looks at how the elite who mainly resided in Colombo dominated all the major parties on the island and they played with the fire of ethnic rancour at the expense of national unity to stay in power whilst ignoring the economic disparities their policies engendered. The book looks at this failure and its consequences through Lionel's own story. The book puts the current issue of war crimes into a historical context. The covering up of atrocities and the killing and jailing of dissidents have been constant features of the country's modern history. Yet the story has a basic optimism. Despite the violence and the suffering, Lionel attests to an unconquerable hope that he and those like him might bring people together, redressing communal grievances and bringing about genuine power sharing in Sri Lanka.