Against the Wind

Fr Elliott travels to the Natural History Museum to meet the SOE section-head and is offered covert training behind enemy lines in Belgium. He accepts, signaling the start of a dangerous mission. He is introduced to a diverse group of recruits, including Michèle, Emile, and Julie.

Elliott begins formal training with the recruits and the stakes of the mission become clear. Michèle's motives are questioned as trust within the group is tested. The team prepares for the transition from training to actual operations abroad.

After completing training, Elliott and Julie are parachuted into Belgium and briefed on destroying a Nazi records office in Brussels and freeing Andrew. Julie is killed during the drop, marking a deadly start to the operation. The surviving team steels itself for the dangerous tasks ahead.

Emile is sent for plastic surgery to facilitate his next covert assignment and avoid detection. The procedure is intended to help him blend in behind enemy lines. The change is a tactical move to keep the network functional.

Emile discovers that his wife has managed to leave occupied Belgium and plans to meet her. He travels to meet her, risking dismissal if he is discovered. Because he does not speak to her and she does not recognize him, the section-head grants him the benefit of the doubt.

Max goes to meet his contact with the Germans, intent on selling out the Belgian network for money. His treachery sets off alarms within the operation and intensifies the danger for everyone involved. The double-dealing threatens the entire mission.

Max, Emile, Michèle, and Scotty are flown to Belgium as part of the operation. The police inform SOE that the Irish contact is on their watch list and that Max is a double-agent, placing the team at risk. The timeline tightens as the traitor's identity is revealed.

Shortly after landing, Michèle executes Max upon receiving a radio message confirming his treachery. This revelation also coincides with the start of a growing closeness between Michèle and Scotty as they work together under pressure. The pair navigate personal and professional tensions to keep the mission alive.

The team successfully destroys the Nazi records office in Brussels, crippling an information hub for the occupiers. Jacques, undercover as a Belgian Fascist, manages to get word to Fr Elliott about Andrew's prison arrangements. The operation advances despite heightened risk.

The plan to spring Andrew from jail is foiled by an untimely RAF bombing raid. Scotty begins suffering toothache due to the damp conditions of their church crypt hideout. The setback complicates the rescue effort and tests the group’s resolve.

Jacques orchestrates Scotty's escape at great personal risk. The rescue comes at the cost of Jacques's undercover cover and life. The remaining agents must carry on with diminished security and mounting pressure.

With others compromised, the remaining agents hijack the train transporting Andrew toward Germany. They outmaneuver German pursuit and get Andrew onto a night flight back to Britain. The operation reaches a crucial turning point with the successful extraction.

Andrew is safely flown back to Britain, marking the culmination of the primary objective. The operation has proven costly but effective, preserving a key SOE asset. The Belgian network’s immediate crisis is resolved, though at significant human cost.