For 33 South African nurses fresh from college, this was meant to be the chance of a lifetime: a two-year contract in the Netherlands to learn valuable skills, the opportunity to live in Europe, and employment guaranteed upon their return. For many, however, it all went horribly wrong. The film follows their fortunes, from arrival in Amsterdam full of high expectations to disgruntlement at contract discrepancies and being put up in slum project housing. Squabbles with colleagues and officials eventually culminate in a bitter court battle, and almost all return home early. Buitenkans raises interesting questions about European prejudices, the quality of healthcare in South Africa, and the advisability of recruiting nurses from developing countries who can ill afford to lose them.