Luis Denard [Charles Boyer] is a former concert pianist and composer who travels to England as a confidential agent of the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War. His mission is clear but perilous: to secure coal for the cause or to deny it to the Fascist rebels, a move that could swing resources in the conflict. On the way to London, the tension thickens when Fascist agents beat and rob him, yet they fail to uncover the documents he has hidden in his shoe.
On arrival, the mission grows more complicated. At his hotel, he seeks help from Else [Wanda Hendrix], a young maid who risks her own safety to hide his documents in her stocking. As Denard reconnects with his contacts, he discovers that Contreras [Peter Lorre] and Maria Melandez [Katina Paxinou] have sold out to the Fascists and aim to discredit or kill him. The revelation sets off a chain of deadly events: the maid is killed, and Denard, driven by a need for justice, confronts his betrayers. Contreras dies of a heart attack just as Denard is about to pull the trigger, and Maria Melandez chooses poison rather than betrayal.
With the key documents compromised and the coal-buying option blocked, Denard faces a morally gray landscape where solidarity among workers is tested. He attempts to rally the miners to support their fellow Spaniards, but the logjam of priorities—work over principle—leaves the effort short of success. Amid this struggle, Rose Cullen [Lauren Bacall]—a bored, wealthy young woman—begins to play a pivotal, if gentle, role in his fate. Rose’s influence helps Denard secure a way to leave the country, she arranging aid from an admirer to facilitate an escape.
As the journey continues, Denard learns that Lord Benditch [Holmes Herbert]’s firm has repudiated its contract with the Fascists, a turn that finally tilts the balance in his favor. The mission, once blocked by betrayal and apathy, begins to bear fruit; the political objective aligns with practical outcomes, and Denard’s struggle seems to move toward a resolution. In the final stretch, the coast at Bexhill-on-Sea marks a turning point: he has, in his own way, achieved something significant.
In the end, Denard boards the ship again and re-encounters Rose, the person who gave his life new meaning. Their relationship becomes the quiet heart of a story driven by intrigue, risk, and a stubborn belief in resilience during a time of war. Denard’s journey—through danger, betrayal, and the tangle of international politics—culminates in a moment of renewed purpose, with Rose by his side and a future that seems suddenly within reach.
