Agnes, a lonely teenage girl, and her father befriend an escaped convict, named Joseph, who arrives at their farm in Brittany, France. When Joseph develops an attraction to Agnes, her father threatens to break up the union. Time magazine called it a "penumbral play of love against loneliness" that "boost[s] the artistic stock of English director John Guillermin" and "clinch[es] the reputation of France's 15-year-old Patricia Gozzi."

During WWII, Mario di Donati served with distinction in the French army, until the day he lost his head and deserted. For the past 15 years he has lived under an assumed name with his partner Germaine. When the latter learns about Mario's secret past, she cannot forgive him and he has no choice but to give himself up to the authorities. In the middle of his trial, Mario runs away again and hides in the apartment of his former mistress, Lilla...