The Great Escaper

Bernie and his wife Rene Jordan live in a retirement home in Hove, with Bernie's mind set on the 70th D-Day anniversary. The prospect of joining the Normandy commemorations is complicated by Rene's fragile health and the lack of available group tours. They dream together about what might be possible, if fate allows.

Though hesitant to leave her side, Bernie is urged by Rene to seize the opportunity and travel to Normandy on his own. She wants him to honor the past while she battles illness, insisting that life must be lived fully.

In a private moment with nurse Adele, Rene reveals she has a terminal illness and only a short time left. She has kept this secret from Bernie to avoid worrying him about the risks of leaving.

Early in the morning, Bernie slips away from the care home and catches a taxi to Dover to catch a ferry. He hopes to make it to France in time for the commemorations.

During the crossing, Bernie meets Arthur, an RAF veteran on a Normandy group tour. Arthur learns Bernie is traveling alone and invites him to join his group and share his hotel room.

Back in the UK, care home staff panic over Bernie's disappearance. Rene confesses to Adele that she is terminally ill and has kept this from Bernie to spare him worry.

At the commemorations, Arthur secures a ticket for Bernie so he can attend. The moment marks a broader sense of late-life heroism and memory.

During the ceremony, Bernie hands his ticket—and Arthur's—over to Heinrich, a German veteran who also fought on D-Day. The gesture shifts the outcome of who attends but preserves the memory of the day.

Bernie and Arthur travel to Bayeux War Cemetery while Arthur searches for his brother's grave. Bernie visits the grave of Douglas Bennett, recalling how he had urged their comrade to face danger and his guilt over Douglas' death.

Back in Britain, Bernie is treated as a celebrity by ferry staff and the press while reporters gather on the dock. He returns to Rene to face the truth of his guilt and the shared memory of those lost.

Bernie confesses the truth about Douglas Bennett's death and expresses despair at the wasted lives of the young on D-Day. Rene reassures him that Douglas' death was not his fault and reminds him of their long life together.

The next morning, Bernie and Rene rise early to watch the dawn, echoing the romance of their youth. Their shared moment closes with a quiet, enduring affection.

A closing caption reveals that Bernie died six months after his great escape, and Rene died seven days later. Their lives end as they leave behind a long arc of love and memory.