The reportage follows a group of Filipino fishermen who work at the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea—a reef located about 120 nautical miles (roughly 222 km) off the coast of the Philippines and around 560 nautical miles (over 1,000 km) from China. Despite being well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the area has been effectively controlled by China since 2012. Over the past decade, China has built up its presence in the region, ignoring a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which found China’s claims to the area had no legal basis. In May 2024, China escalated the situation again by banning fishing in the region for four months and giving its coast guard the power to detain foreign fishers for up to 60 days without trial. Since then, Filipino fishermen have not been allowed to fish at the reef—costing them up to 60% of their income. The reef, once a vital fishing ground for local communities, has become a symbol of growing tensions between China and its neighbors. With Chinese ships patrolling the area and artificial islands being built nearby, many in the Philippines now see conflict as increasingly likely.