The Seventh Cross

In 1936, seven prisoners escape from the Westhofen concentration camp near the Rhine. The sadistic camp commandant erects seven crosses and vows to "put a man on each". The escapees include a writer, a circus performer, a schoolmaster, a farmer, a Jewish grocery clerk, George Heisler, and Wallau. Their breakout marks the film's start as they vanish into the German countryside.

Wallau is the first to be apprehended and dies without revealing any information. His death is narrated by the dead Wallau, setting a grim tone for the fugitives' ordeal. The surviving escapees, including Heisler, realize they have become hunted in a dangerous landscape.

The Nazis round up other escapees who are captured trying to hide and return them to the camp. Those caught are hung on crosses with arms tied behind their backs, underscoring the brutal price of escape. The camp becomes a symbol of the regime's unforgiving reach.

Heisler makes his way across the German countryside, trying to stay ahead of pursuit. To avoid detection, he steals a jacket to cover his prison garb and blend in with ordinary people. The journey tests his endurance as he moves through unfamiliar towns.

Heisler travels to Mainz, his home city, where his former girlfriend Leni resides. She has promised to wait for him but has since married and refuses to help. He hides nearby, weighing his precarious options as the net tightens around him.

Another escapee, the acrobat, leaps to his death to avoid capture. His sacrifice underscores the high cost of seeking freedom. The escapees' fragile hope is tempered by the harsh reality of pursuit.

Mme Marelli, unaware that he and the acrobat have escaped, gives him a suit of clothes that were intended for the acrobat. The helping gesture keeps Heisler hidden a bit longer. This act of kindness shows the dangers and loyalties of ordinary people during the escape.

A fellow escaped writer tracks Heisler down and almost convinces him to surrender along with him. Heisler refuses, choosing instead to persevere and seek a safer path. The tension between loyalty and safety runs through their encounter.

Heisler goes to see his old friend Paul Roeder, a factory worker with a wife and children who still risks helping him. Roeder is moved by Heisler's plight and agrees to provide aid. The act marks a turning point in Heisler's fight to stay free.

Roeder goes to see Sauer, Heisler's old friend, but Sauer refuses to help at first. His initial reluctance weighs on the decision to shelter a fugitive. The social network of friends is tested by fear and moral choice.

Sauer, feeling guilty about refusing to help, goes to see Marnet and his companions in the German underground. The underground group deduces that Heisler is hiding with Roeder and begins to plan a safer concealment. The network begins to cohere around Heisler's escape.

The underground realizes Heisler is hiding with Roeder and leaves for a new hiding place in an inn just before Marnet arrives. The move demonstrates the precarious balance between safety and exposure. It sets the stage for the next phase of evasion.

Roeder is taken in for questioning by the Gestapo, but is released without giving any information. The episode highlights the constant danger faced by those harboring fugitives. The bond between Heisler and his protectors remains under pressure.

The underground provides Heisler with false identification papers and directs him to a rendezvous with a ship that will help him escape Germany. The escape plan hinges on careful misdirection and timing. The network's efforts are crucial to gaining real freedom.

Inspired by the courage and kindness of those he met, and with Toni the sympathetic inn waitress helping, Heisler escapes by boat to an unknown destination, probably Holland. The ending emphasizes personal resilience and the possibility of a hopeful future. The journey remains perilous but opens a gateway to liberation beyond Germany.