Baptiste is thirteen when he crosses the border into France on July 10th, 1940, running away from fascism and the Spanish civil war which claimed his father’s life. He finds shelter with Marie, a young school teacher and her husband Lucien, a former member of International Brigades.
Two years later, France has given in to the nazis Lucien and Marie have joined the Resistance, Baptiste has developed a friendship with Maxim, a jewish boy.