Resistance

In 1938 Munich, Nazi Brown Shirts invade the home of the young Jewish girl Elsbeth and kill her parents. The event establishes the brutality of the occupation and the peril facing Jewish families.

In 1939 Strasbourg, Marcel Marceau struggles with unfulfilling work in his father's butcher shop and grows increasingly aware of the Nazi power around him. He longs for the arts, especially mime and painting, and performs Chaplin impressions at a local cabaret, earning his father's disapproval.

Georges involves himself with a Jewish arm of the French Resistance and brings a Scout troop of 123 Jewish orphans to Strasbourg, where they take shelter in a castle. Marcel's mime helps the children adapt, while his relationship with Emma deepens.

After Germany's invasion of Poland, the Resistance disperses the Jewish children to smaller groups to reduce visibility. Marcel and Emma stay connected with Elsbeth as the danger increases.

After 1941, Klaus Barbie arrives in Lyon during the Nazi occupation to crush the Resistance. He uses bribery and brutal tactics, including executions in an empty swimming pool at Gestapo Headquarters, earning the moniker The Butcher of Lyon. His presence intensifies the oppression in Lyon.

Marcel, Emma, and Marcel's brother Alain relocate to Lyon to continue their Resistance work. Emma's sister Mila also joins the effort. The group faces increased risk as the hunt for Jews tightens.

During a Nazi sweep of Lyon's train station, Alain narrowly escapes while Marcel helps him flee by burning a German soldier. Mila is later captured in a Gestapo roundup and is tortured to death by Barbie; Emma survives by collaborating but later contemplates suicide.

To save the Jewish children, Marcel, Emma, and Alain disguise their Scout troop as a hiking party and escort a dozen children toward the French Alps by SNCF train. Barbie's SS troops patrol the last station before the Swiss border, forcing Emma into hiding while they search the train.

Barbie presses the pursuit into the icy forests along the Swiss border. He nearly stops them as he fires, mortally wounding Emma, but Marcel and the children still manage to escape toward Switzerland.

Marcel and the children reach Switzerland, escaping the Nazis and preserving the lives of many Jewish children. The mission marks a turning point in the war for them, as their escape validates their effort and courage.

The film shifts to 1945 in Nuremberg, where Marceau serves as a Liaison Officer with the United States Army and continues his acting work. General Patton introduces him to troops and reveals that Marceau crossed the Alps many times to rescue hundreds of children.

The story closes with Marceau performing a mime in his iconic white face and blue and white shirt before the troops, a quiet, symbolic victory after the horrors of the war.