- In 1940, a concentration camp escapee assumes the identity of a dead British officer, only to become a prisoner of war.
- After the evacuation at Dunkirk, June 1940, some thousands of British prisoners are sent to German P.O.W. camps. One such group includes Capt. Geoffrey Mitchell, a concentration camp escapee who assumed the identity of a dead British officer. To avoid exposure, Mitchell must correspond with the dead man's estranged wife Celia. But eventual exposure seems certain, and the men must find a way to get him out. If he reaches England, though, what will his reception be?—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
- 1940. With the Nazis having overtaken much of France, many British military men, officers and soldiers alike, have been captured in the process and sent to POW camps. Among those is Captain Geoffrey Mitchell, or so it appears on the surface. Mitchell is really Captain Karel Hasek of the Czechoslovakian Army, he who escaped from a concentration camp. He came across Mitchell's dead body in a battlefield, and stealing his papers and clothes assumed his identity for his own safety in the Nazis still pursuing him. He is able to blend in in speaking perfect English with no Czechoslovakian accent having been British educated. But also speaking perfect German as do many Czechoslovakians, his fellow POWs at the camp suspect that he may be a German spy. Beyond the regular perils of this internment, Hasek also discovers that one of the Gestapo officers frequenting this camp, Forster, had a similar role at the concentration camp where he was a prisoner, Hasek almost guaranteed to be executed if Forster remembers him. Partly to maintain his cover, Hasek, like most of the married POWs or those in committed relationships, feels compelled to reply to the correspondence of "his" i.e. Mitchell's wife, Celia Mitchell, he unaware from that initial letter from her that the Mitchells' marriage was at that time all but over. But in their correspondence, Hasek eventually falls in love with Celia, and she in turn falls in love all over again with Geoffrey, unaware that the man with who she is corresponding is not her husband.—Huggo
- In 1940, Captain Karel Hasek of the Czechoslovak Army remains incarcerated in the Dachau concentration camp. He manages to escape and assumes the identity of Captain Geoffrey Mitchell, a recently-deceased British officer. When recaptured by the German authorities, they assume that he is the real Mitchell. Karel is relocated to prison camp in western Germany, along with thousands of British prisoners of war.
Karel is fluent in the English language, but his unfamiliarity with the British culture makes his fellow prisoners suspect that he is an impostor. He is mistaken for a German spy, and is forced to explain his story to Major Dalrymple, the senior British officer. He agrees to help him maintain his cover.
The British prisoners are allowed to maintain correspondence with their loved ones in the UK. To continue the ruse, Karel starts corresponding with Celia Mitchell, Geoffrey's estranged wife. The real Mitchell had abandoned his wife and children. Karel's letters convince Celia that her husband wants to reconcile with her, and she starts falling in love with him again.
In 1944, the prison camp is visited by Herr Forster, a former commandant of Dachau. Karel fears that Forster will recognize him, but Forster seems to have forgotten about him. Forster eventually realizes that Karel is not the real Mitchell, and sends Karel's photograph to Berlin for identification.
Shortly after the Germans decide to repatriate a number of the British prisoners. Karel's name is not in the list. Private Mathews reveals that he was a burglar in his civilian life. With the help of others, Mathews breaks into the commandant's office and adds the name of "Mitchell" to the list. Karel is send to Great Britain, with the German still not realizing that he is not British.
Karel visits Celia, explaining that her real husband is dead and that she has been corresponding with him for four years. He claims to have fallen in love with Celia through their correspondence. She is shocked, and he leaves her alone. Afterwards she re-reads his letter, and realizes that she genuinely loves Karel.
In 1945, Germany surrenders and the European theater of World War II ends. Karel phones Celia, and she is eager to speak to him. The film ends in a hopeful note concerning their relationship.
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