Strayed

In June 1940, as German troops close in on Paris, Odile and her two children, Philippe and Cathy, join the mass exodus heading south. They travel with other refugees along crowded roads in a desperate bid to outrun the advancing front. The looming war casts a shadow over every mile of their journey.

After about fifty kilometers, German planes strike the choking refugee route, causing chaos and destruction. Odile's car is destroyed and the family is forced to flee into roadside fields and nearby woods. They push on, trying to survive amid smoke, sirens, and the sounds of war.

From the woods emerges Yvan, a wiry seventeen-year-old who obviously knows the land and can hunt. He offers to guide the family and argues for taking a safer, off-road route. Odile remains wary, while Cathy and Philippe are drawn to his confident, self-reliant persona.

Together they stumble upon a large abandoned country retreat and decide to move inside. Yvan cuts the phone lines and hides an existing radio, effectively isolating them from the outside world. Odile hopes the quiet refuge will buy them time and safety amid the war's chaos.

Inside, Odile assumes housekeeping duties and tries to create a sense of normalcy for Philippe and Cathy. She learns the house once belonged to a Jewish couple who fled abroad, and she reflects on her own loss after her husband was killed in the fighting. The daily routine provides a fragile, comforting illusion of ordinary life.

Yvan becomes indispensable, hunting rabbits and fishing by day and scavenging at night. He also uncovers a gun and a grenade, which Odile hides to prevent danger. Tensions rise as Philippe and Odile navigate trust and boundaries while Yvan's brash exterior begins to soften.

Odile notices Yvan's illiteracy and begins teaching him to read and write, hoping to foster a sense of belonging and stability. Yvan offers fragments of his past, revealing that he is an orphan who spent time in a reformatory. Their evolving relationship gradually shifts from suspicion to tentative trust.

Two French soldiers, Georges and Robert, arrive as the war pauses with an armistice. Odile provides food and shelter, but Yvan remains distrustful, and a violent outburst nearly harms Philippe when Yvan contemplates harming the soldiers. He ultimately chooses to remain away, avoiding further danger.

That night, a tense, complicated moment passes between Odile and Yvan, testing boundaries of trust and care. In the morning, Yvan slips away to find provisions, promising to return and join the family once the danger subsides.

Policemen arrive soon after, having traced Yvan through the clothing he wore. Philippe admits they know him, and Odile tells the officers how Yvan helped them, offering shelter and support. The family tries to protect him by silence, but the truth comes out in the end.

Some time later, Odile and her children are in a refugee camp with many others. A policeman privately questions Odile about Yvan, and she lies to protect him. He bluntly reveals that Yvan—whose real name was Jean Delmas—had hanged himself the night before; a fugitive from Mettray.

Philippe asks about his friend, and Odile maintains the lie that Yvan escaped. The truth remains hidden as the family endures the camp's uncertainty, while the war's toll continues to weigh on them.