At the end of WWII a German soldier who had often been ordered to execute women and children deserts and tries to find a hiding place in his native village. Almost immediately the entire village is evacuated, except for the deserter and a French girl who is a compulsive worker. Believing that the Nazi regime is gone forever they tear down all Nazi placards. The girl also steals civilian clothes for the soldier from her employer. But the next day the Germans are back and determined to find out who took away the placards. The employer dares not report the girl for fear that he would also be punished. When the deserter understands that there is no refuge and that his parents and younger sister will be murdered if the Germans find him, he shoots himself. Fifteen years later when a short-time fun-fair is built the deserter's corpse turns up, but even his parents prefer to forget what happened and to let the corpse remain unidentified.
—Max Scharnberg, Stockholm, Sweden