It is 1944 and technically the French and Germans are no longer at war with each other, meaning that the French captives will lose their prisoner-of-war status and be liable for transportation to labour camps in Poland. When the town padre requests that the camp’s choir sing in the local church during a visit by the bishop of Lodz, French captain Andre Vaillant, helped by organist Gerda, uses the occasion as a diversion for his escape.