In 1944, in a small village in Calvados, just as the Allies landed, a British plane was shot down. The wounded pilot seeks help. All the villagers, who speak only of resistance, refuse to help, for fear of reprisals. Only the mayor, Dr. Leproux, takes him in and nurses him back to health, then entrusts him to the Resistance. But the Germans get wind of the story and arrest Leproux. He is saved by Major Frantz. But the budding friendship between these two men "doesn't stop the drums", and the war is on.

Sous la France occupée, le docteur Leproux, maire du village, est un homme bon qui déteste la guerre. Il est ami avec le major allemand qui travaille à l'hôpital, mais il héberge en même temps un parachutiste anglais qui a été abattu.