Paulette, a young girl fleeing Paris during the Nazi invasion, is orphaned after an air raid and finds refuge with a farming family, forming a close bond with Michel, the youngest member. Together, they create a sort of ‘sacred’ place where they can live in peace. The film portrays the horrors of war through the innocent eyes of children, who are entirely at the mercy of apathetic and unscrupulous adults. This poignant depiction earned the film the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1952.