Uncertain Glory

Jean Picard sits on death row in a prison under Vichy authorities, awaiting the guillotine. Inspector Marcel Bonet has hunted him for fifteen years and has finally captured him for murder. The scene is set for a fateful moment when the war outside continues to rage around them.

An air raid delivers a direct hit to the prison just as Picard is about to be executed, causing chaos and allowing his escape. He heads to Henri Duval's apartment, demanding forged papers and 5,000 francs. In the upheaval, Picard seduces Duval's girlfriend Louise.

While Duval is away, Picard's plan to hide in plain sight begins to unravel as he seduces Louise. Duval, shocked by the turn of events, betrays Picard to the Sûreté, placing the fugitive back in their hands.

Bonet captures Picard in Bordeaux, hoping to move him to Paris. Their return is delayed when a bridge had been blown the previous night by a saboteur, disrupting the German troop movements and complicating the pursuit.

The Germans announce that 100 French hostages will be executed in five days unless the saboteur is found. Picard, convinced he can manipulate the situation, offers to surrender so the Nazis will believe he is the real saboteur. Bonet agrees to the ruse to save the captives.

Picard adopts the alias Jean Emil Dupont and ducks into a shop, where he is immediately drawn to Marianne, the shopkeeper's ward. Marianne is connected to Mme. Maret, whose son is one of the hostages, complicating the moral lines of the operation. The encounter deepens the stakes of the staged surrender.

Mme Maret schemes to hand a fall guy to the Germans in exchange for her son and the other hostages. Her first candidate, Brenoir, proves cowardly and unsuitable, leaving her still seeking a way to secure her group’s safety. The pressure to frame Dupont grows.

Meanwhile Father LeClerc uncovers Mme Maret's second plot to frame three locals as Dupont, arguing that such a murder would be unjust and dangerous. He rails against the plan and attempts to derail it, buying time for cooler heads to prevail.

To maintain the cover story, Bonet informs his Paris superiors that Picard attempted an escape and that Picard’s body was lost in a river. The ruse is designed to prevent a rash pursuit from exposing their undercover operation. Every move now hinges on convincing the Germans Picard is the saboteur.

Evidence points to three saboteurs, with two strangers in town who have not reported their identifications. The commander leads a detail to Bonet's hotel room, bringing a captured suspect for questioning. Dupont seizes the moment to reveal Bonet's true identity, strengthening their undercover front.

The capture proves the real saboteur is Major Andre Varenne of the Free French Army. Bonet and Dupont aid Varenne's air evacuation to England, turning a sabotage hunt into a mission that supports the Free French cause.

The morning after the evacuation, Dupont and Marianne plan to leave town together, hoping for a new life. Bonet confronts Marianne with the truth about Dupont, and she asks what he was really like at heart. Bonet pauses, then answers simply, 'He was a Frenchman.'