Alan Stone, a young Englishman from a well-to-do family emigrates to Canada around 1911. Shortly after he leaves, his sister Anne elopes with a young German, Heinrich Meuller and goes to live in Germany. From that day on their lives becomeintermingled in the unrest in Europe. Alan meets and falls in love with Emily Sparling and they are married. However, he is called to duty in the Canadian Army and faces the horrors of trench warfare during the First World War. Severely wounded he meets and falls in love with Judith Van Dreish, a young Belgian nurse. The have a short-lived affair before he is wounded again and sent back to Canada. He re-unites with his wife and is devatated when she dies giving birth to their son, Alfred. Unable to settle into a normal lifestyle he joins a secretive organization and is established as a shopkeeper in Paris to work with the French Resistance when Germany overruns France. Due to a twist of fate he again finds Judith and rekindles their love. Unknown to him his son has joined the Canadian Air Force and he is called upon to try and rescue him form the Gremans when he is shot down over France. Alan is captured by the Gestapo and tortured, but is reunited with Heinrich who helps him escape.