The Hour Before the Dawn

General Hetherton instructs Jim to shoot a rifle and test his nerve. Jim's dog darts into the line of fire, and the dog is killed. The tragedy leaves Jim deeply scarred and seeds his lifelong pacifism.

In 1939, Jim is a headmaster who has fallen in love with Dora, an Austrian woman who works for his sister-in-law May. He remains unaware that Dora is a Nazi spy using the refugee cover. The romance complicates his judgment as war looms.

Dora maintains her spy duties by meeting with her supervisors in London, including Mrs. Müller and Kurt van der Breughel, under the guise of refugee work. The meetings reveal her role as an active spy feeding information to Germany.

With the war underway, Roger joins the Royal Air Force, while Jim's firm pacifism drives him to apply for conscientious objector status. His exemption is granted, allowing him to avoid combat but still contribute to the war effort.

Jim is ordered to perform farm work to aid the war effort, but his conscientious objector status brings him into conflict with skeptical farmers. He must prove his usefulness while navigating hostility and misunderstanding.

Dora is tasked to guide German bombers toward a camouflaged airfield using the headlights of May's car, a dangerous plot that places her under close scrutiny. She is spotted by May's son Tommy, who witnesses the scheme and risks exposing it.

Facing the approaching bombers, Dora is forced to react quickly and turn off the lights to avoid detection. The airfield is saved from being located, allowing the attack to proceed without tipping off the attackers.

As the district sweeps away enemy aliens, Dora marries Jim to save herself from internment. The marriage gives her a risky but stable cover and ties her to Jim personally.

Kurt van der Breughel schemes to use Jim to influence English opinion and seek capitulation. He sends Jim a fake letter inviting him to join an effort to educate refugee children, exploiting Jim's idealism.

Jim meets with Dora after receiving Kurt's invitation and hears that the Germans might negotiate peace terms. He later tells Dora that Kurt sounded more German than Dutch, deepening his mistrust.

Worried about exposure, Dora phones van der Breughel and urges bombing the airfield that night. She also plans to sabotage a hay wagon by pouring gasoline, creating a decoy and distraction.

Tommy escapes and encounters Jim, revealing his wife's betrayal. The revelation confirms that Dora is involved in sabotage and marks a turning point in Jim's trust.

Dora confesses to being a spy, then shoots Jim in the shoulder. His gun jams, and he fights back, killing Dora just before Roger arrives home.

With Dora dead, Jim joins the Royal Air Force as a gunner, recommitting himself to the war effort in a new, dangerous role.