First Comes Courage

Nicole Larsen becomes part of the Norwegian resistance in Stavik and leads a dangerous double life. She pretends to be in love with Major Paul Dichter to gather military intelligence, which she passes to the British via Dr. Henrik Aanrud. The risk is immense as loyalty, love, and espionage intertwine in occupied Norway.

Colonel Kurt von Elser pressures Dichter to root out the intelligence leaks. Dr. Henrik Aanrud helps by concealing a message on an eyeglass that asks the British to send an assassin for Dichter. Nicole becomes a prime suspect as the leaks continue.

The British devise a raid on Stavik's oil dumps and arrange for Dichter to appear as a casualty of the attack to avoid reprisals on locals. The plan requires careful manipulation and timing to minimize German attention on the Norwegian resistance. Nicole's intelligence work is pivotal to making the ruse credible.

Captain Allan Lowell volunteers to go to Stavik a few days early to coordinate the assassination plan against Dichter. His mission is to create plausible danger for Dichter while keeping British forces safe and unseen by the Nazis. The plan is coordinated with other resistance members in the area.

Allan and Ole, a Norwegian commando, land on the Stavik coast and move toward safety. They shelter in Ole's cousin Thorsten's farmhouse while awaiting further instructions. The mission begins to unravel as the local network is imperfect and suspicion grows.

Thorsten betrays Allan and Ole to the Nazis, sealing their fate. Ole is killed in the botched setup, and Allan is injured and captured by German forces. The operation seems doomed, forcing Nicole and the resistance to improvise for Allan's survival.

Despite his injuries, Allan escapes from a hospital with the help of Nicole and nurse Rose Lindstrom. He hides in Nicole's basement to avoid immediate interrogation. The escape preserves a key link between the resistance and its most valuable asset.

Colonel von Elser questions why Nicole's house is exempt from search, hinting at his suspicions. Dichter's private life becomes a shield as he announces the couple's imminent marriage, causing the search to ease for the moment. Nicole's future in Stavik grows more precarious as the wedding plans unfold.

Nicole accepts the risk and the role she hopes to play as Dichter's wife. The couple's engagement is announced, and the wedding is scheduled for later that week. Allan is instructed to rendezvous with his unit on the night of the raid, which coincides with the wedding.

Moments before the ceremony, Dichter is informed that Nicole is implicated in the leaks, which could ruin his career. He chooses to go ahead with the wedding regardless, planning to stage a fatal accident on their honeymoon to finally remove her threat. The tension mounts as the ceremony approaches.

After the ceremony, Dichter drives Nicole home and confronts her about the spying. Nicole admits to the spying and reveals she has no affection left for him. Allan interrupts and shoots Dichter dead to save Nicole from a staged murder and to break his hold over her.

Allan loads Dichter's body into Dichter's car and drives away with Nicole to join the raid. Colonel von Elser arrives at Nicole's house soon after and pursues them, hoping to arrest the resistance cell. The tense pursuit escalates as the two sides race toward the oil dumps.

The commandos blow the oil dumps, signaling the raid's success and their escape route. Allan and Nicole manage to pass the area just seconds before the explosions. Von Elser and his men are killed in the blast, eliminating one of the Nazis' most persistent pursuers.

Believing she will be useful to the resistance as Dichter's widow, Nicole remains in Stavik to continue the fight. Allan returns to England with his unit, hoping to return someday and perhaps see Nicole again. The mission ends with a bittersweet note of sacrifice and unresolved longing.