Frieda

Frieda, a German woman, helps English airman Robert escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp as the war nears its end. The escape is dangerous and fraught with risk, but Frieda's courage allows them to slip away. Robert remains grateful, setting the stage for a complicated bond that grows beyond mere gratitude.

In a church skirting the front lines between Russia and Germany, Frieda and Robert marry so she can obtain a British passport. The ceremony is practical, binding them together beyond the immediate danger of the war. They embark on a future as husband and wife, despite the shadows of recent events.

The couple arrives at Robert's Oxfordshire home and is introduced to his family, including his mother, his small stepbrother Tony, Judy, and Aunt Eleanor. The locals greet Frieda with hostility as memories of war linger. Robert begins adjusting his life to a quieter, domestic rhythm.

Initially, the townspeople treat Frieda with bitter suspicion and Robert is forced to give up his job as a schoolteacher. The couple faces discrimination from neighbors who still judge people by their wartime origins. Over time, patient effort and small acts of openness begin to change minds.

Judy befriends Frieda, unknowingly complicating matters because she is secretly in love with Robert. Frieda values the friendship while navigating a growing emotional tension around Robert. The love triangle adds tension but also depth to their new life.

As Robert settles into farm work with Frieda, the heaviness of his POW years begins to lift. He begins to see Frieda in a new, fuller light and their partnership deepens beyond dependency. The couple builds a routine that slowly steadies them against lingering prejudices.

They watch a film dealing with the horror of Bergen-Belsen, and Frieda fears the revelation could ruin their marriage. Robert struggles to reconcile the film's truths with his feelings for Frieda. The experience tests their trust, but they cling to what they have built.

Frieda's brother Richard, long presumed dead, reappears as an ex-German soldier who has joined the Polish Army. He gives Frieda a swastika on a chain as a wedding present, signaling that his loyalty to Nazism remains unbroken. In a local town pub, he is denounced as a concentration camp guard.

In private, Richard admits the truth of his actions and claims Frieda had known and approved. Robert's moral revolt against everything German grows; he begins to distance himself from Frieda's world. The couple's trust is strained as accusations fly.

Frieda, fearing she has lost Robert, attempts suicide. Robert arrives just in time, and the shock restores his faith in her. The crisis forces both to confront what they truly mean to each other.

Robert's near-tragedy leads him to reaffirm his faith in Frieda and their relationship. He chooses to stand by her despite the prejudice that nearly overwhelmed them. The couple renews their commitment and moves forward with new understanding.

Aunt Eleanor, once vehemently anti-German, acknowledges that you cannot treat people as less than human without becoming less than human yourself. Her transformation signals a broader shift in the community's attitudes.