Line of Demarcation

The Jura village sits along the Loue River, which marks the line of demarcation between occupied France and the free zone. The Nazis tighten patrols along the river and warn that anyone attempting to cross will be shot. The stage is set for a growing resistance movement that operates under constant threat.

Nazis release Pierre to oversee his chateau, now used as a German command center. He is allowed to live in the hunting lodge and maintains a wary, cordial relationship with the German governor. He is resigned to France's defeat but continues to perform his duties under pressure.

Mary conducts activities in support of the resistance, leveraging her status to stay one step ahead of the occupiers. She arranges the successful escape of downed Allied airmen, guiding them across occupied France toward Spain and Gibraltar. Her courage and resourcefulness make her a key link between the village and the Allied effort.

A local smuggler preys on a Jewish family, extorting large sums to get them across the river but betraying them to the Nazis. The resistance exacts swift retribution, killing the smuggler for his treachery. This incident highlights the peril and moral complexity of underground work under occupation.

Two British spies hidden in the forest collect military information and broadcast it to London. Their operation is discovered by the Germans, leaving one wounded and captured. The exposure puts the local resistance network at risk of collapse.

A doctor who is part of the resistance stalls the Germans' interrogation attempts at the hospital. The Gestapo push for answers and threaten the doctor’s wife with arrest and torture. The tension escalates as the threat of discovery looms over the wounded spy and the broader network.

Resistance fighters in German uniforms stage a raid on the hospital to extract the wounded spy before the real Germans can arrive. The ruse buys critical time and keeps the German focus off the spy's location. The incident deepens the danger for those involved as the deception unravels.

An informer tells the Germans that the wounded spy is being tended by the Countess. The attempt to reach that location is foiled when the spy is moved elsewhere at the last moment. The episode shows how quickly positions shift in the network.

The Germans arrest Mary despite the lack of solid evidence, treating her status as a British aristocrat who would be interned rather than tortured. The arrest threatens the resistance's morale and tests their ability to protect its leaders. The Countess's restraint and the mounting danger intensify the crisis.

To smuggle the wounded spy across the river, the resistance conceives a plan using the coffin of a recently deceased 97 year old woman. The cortege moves toward the bridge, relying on deception to overcome German scrutiny. Tension mounts as they near the far bank.

The two Gestapo agents challenge the ruse and demand to stop and open the coffin. Pierre acts quickly, shooting them dead to protect the plan and the spy. He is then killed by the German soldiers in a final act of defiance.

With Pierre dead, the villagers gather around his body and defiantly sing La Marseillaise. The camera lingers on the Nazi flag, underscoring the cost of resistance and the fragile line between rebellion and occupation.