Shortly after WWII, flashbacks tell the story of Marise (Greer Garson), her husband Paul (Robert Mitchum), and Jean (Richard Hart), who was imprisoned with Paul in a German camp. While attempting to escape from the camp, Paul is shot, and Jean goes to see Marise, confirming the news she already had gotten about Paul's death. Jean has fallen in love with Marise through the stories Paul told him and wants to stay with her in the seaside town in Brittany, where Paul owned a small business.