This spy thriller tells the story of the real-life Soviet superspy Leopold Trepper (Claude Brasseur), who set up an espionage ring (L'Orchestre Rouge) right under the noses of the Nazis in occupied Western Europe. The information they gathered gave Stalin advance warning of Hitler's invasion of Russia, and was especially helpful during the Battle of Stalingrad. Trepper was captured by the Nazis and was briefly interrogated before escaping back to Russia, where he was immediately imprisoned, like so many of Stalin's top security operatives. This film is based on the 1967 best-seller by Gilles Perrault which made The Red Orchestra famous.