This essay delves into an exploration of the intersection and interaction of adaptation and history in the context of the Taiwanese film Detention, which is based on a video game of the same title. The narrative, set against the backdrop of Taiwan’s martial law, invites its audience to confront this dark chapter in Taiwan’s history. The study focuses on the pluralities inherent in such an inter-semiotic translation at both the textual and contextual levels, in terms of the sources, textual meanings, and audience’s reception. Detention might be primarily a game-to-film adaptation, but the relationship between the game (what one might think of as source text) and the film (what one might think of as target text) is far from straightforward. The film incorporates multiple sources other than the game, including film traditions and historical references, to create a multi-layered narrative. In the same vein, textual meanings and reception shift in accordance with the audience’s experience and ideological inclinations, among other factors, showing that the interpretation of a particular text, in this case, Detention, is not merely a reflection of history but is deeply rooted in the evolving present and the changing dynamics of Taiwanese society. Ultimately, Detention prompts a reevaluation of the hegemony of History and advocates for a view of histories in the plural. Challenging this hegemony also allows one to problematize the binary polarization of source/text, history/literature, and victim/victimizer, in the process acknowledging the inherent complexities of these explorations and underscores the value of initiating dialogues about historical trauma and memory.