The story begins in the spring of 1940, when the iron hoof of the German army broke the peace and tranquillity of France. In order to avoid the war, thousands of French people boarded the train to the zone of peace. Julian (Jean-Louis Trantinion Jean-Louis Trintignant) was one of the crowds. He not only had to take care of his young daughter. Also take on the responsibility of protecting the safety of his pregnant wife (Anne Viazemsky Anne Wiazemsky). After an accident separated Julian from his wife and daughter, he met a woman named Anna (Romi Schneider Romy Schneider) on the train. Anna, a German Jew, was not accepted by the French, but she was also wanted by the Nazis. The red line of fate tied Julian and Anna together tightly. In the turbulent environment, they had to rely on each other.