Mary Lindell, an enobled Englishwoman estranged from her French husband but still living in Paris, maintains a regal lifestyle even after the invading German army takes over the city in 1940. Initially blasé about the occupation, Lindell is propelled out of her malaise by the plight of a downed British flier whom she secretly shelters, nurses back to health, then helps to escape. As word of her deed spreads, Lindell becomes a beacon that draws other entrapped Allies, as well as the Gestapo.