Wake Me When the War Is Over (1969) Plot Summary Explained

Marlene falls in love with Carrington during his recovery at her estate. When WWII ends in 1945, she realizes that once Carrington learns the truth, his duty as a soldier will force him to leave. To keep him with her, she chooses to withhold the news of the war's conclusion and maintains the deception for nearly five years.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in their relationship, Marlene shows her willingness to protect Carrington by hiding him from German patrols, establishing her pattern of controlling information to shield him.

• baroness marlene
• lieutenant carrington
• deception
• love
• wwii ending

Several factors keep Carrington in the dark: he lives isolated on Marlene's estate where she controls all information, she tells him the Allies are losing and then slowly retargeting England, no one around him speaks English to contradict the narrative, and he convinces himself he must continue his one-man sabotage mission. The language barrier is the crucial mechanism that prevents any outsider from revealing the truth.

Foreshadowing: Early in his stay, Carrington is already established as naive and incompetent, making it plausible he would accept the baroness's version of events without question.

• language barrier
• isolation
• information control
• five years
• wwii ended

Carrington needs to justify his continued presence at the estate rather than returning to duty. He constructs a personal narrative that he must fight the war alone through sabotage operations. This mission exists more as an existential commitment than a real wartime necessity, it gives him purpose and validates his staying with Marlene.

Foreshadowing: His initial slip from the C-47 during a leaflet drop establishes his incompetence, making his self-deluded mission fittingly absurd.

• carrington sabotage mission
• delusion
• wwii soldier
• duty

The primary barrier is language, none of the Germans around Carrington speak English. Even when he leaves the estate, the language gap isolates him from the truth. Eva Klein, Marlene's maid who accompanies him, cannot translate or reveal the reality. This linguistic isolation reinforces his detachment from the post-war world.

Foreshadowing: The story establishes early that Carrington is behind enemy lines in German-occupied territory, where English would be rare.

• english
• german
• communication barrier
• eva klein
• translation

Marlene constructs a false narrative that the Allies are losing the war, which justifies Carrington's continued presence at her estate. Later, she shifts the story to say the Allies are slowly retaking England, maintaining the illusion that the conflict persists. This allows her to control his understanding of reality while keeping him with her.

Foreshadowing: Her role as a resistance sympathizer gives her credibility to discuss wartime matters, making her false narratives more believable to Carrington.

• allies losing
• england
• propaganda
• false narrative
• marlene lies

In the late 1940s or 1950, Carrington leaves Marlene's estate to pursue his self-imposed sabotage mission. He steps into a peacetime Europe where WWII has ended, but he remains completely unaware that the war is over. He departs believing he is fighting an enemy that no longer exists, walking into a peaceful world still convinced of his solitary mission.

Foreshadowing: His departure is foreshadowed by his growing conviction about the one-man mission, which gives him the justification to leave despite his bond with Marlene.

• leaves estate
• postwar europe
• peacetime
• sabotage mission
• departure

Eva Klein is Marlene's loyal maid who accompanies Carrington during his travels. Though she is present with him, she cannot translate or reveal the truth about the war ending due to the language barrier. Her presence underscores the communication gap that prevents Carrington from learning reality, she's physically close but linguistically unable to help him understand the truth.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes her presence as a key element that reinforces the language barrier theme throughout his journey.

• eva klein
• maid
• language barrier
• accompanies carrington

Carrington is hidden behind German enemy lines in rural Europe during WWII. The estate and surrounding area are occupied territory where English is not commonly spoken. This isolation is intentional, both for his safety from German patrols and later for Marlene's deception. The lack of English speakers becomes the crucial plot mechanism that allows the five-year deception to continue.

Foreshadowing: His initial fall behind enemy lines places him in a location where German is the primary language, establishing the communication challenge from the start.

• german occupied
• english speakers
• rural europe
• isolation

Marlene is established as a baroness who opposes the Nazi regime. She shelters Carrington initially for humanitarian reasons and because she shares his opposition to the Nazis. During his recovery, she develops genuine feelings for him, which transforms her motivation from political solidarity to romantic love, eventually leading her to preserve the deception about the war's end.

Foreshadowing: Her early characterization as resistance-sympathetic establishes both her willingness to help and her capacity for deception in service of love.

• resistance
• nazi regime
• baroness
• shelters soldier
• humanitarian

Carrington remains at Marlene's estate for nearly five years after WWII ends in 1945. He stays through 1950, living under the false impression that the war continues in some form. This extended period is possible due to the combination of his isolation, the language barrier, Marlene's false narratives about Allied losses, and his own need to believe in his one-man mission.

Foreshadowing: The pacing note that the deception follows a steady, linear progression over five years suggests this prolonged stay is central to the story's unique premise.

• five years
• 1945 to 1950
• extended stay
• estate
• deception timeline