June 9, 1940 - Hitler's troops occupy the north of France. The Les Milles internment camp, located in a suburb of Aix-en-Provence, houses members of the 1000-year-old Reich: Germans, Austrians, Czechs, Poles, Bulgarians, men between the ages of 18 and 69, Jews, Communists, or simply opposition members who had fled to France to escape the Third Reich. Perrochon is the French commander of the camp; he is a reserve officer, decorated with the "Croix de Guerre avec Double Palmes", and does not speak a single word of German. He is not at all interested in the welfare of his prisoners, whom he considers enemies just like the Nazis. The camp inmates are afraid that France will hand them over to the Germans. Two of them, the writer Lion Feuchtwanger and the lawyer Walter Franck demand guarantees from the French. But Perrochon closes his mind to this request. He feared a revolt in the camp and called for reinforcements from Marseille. He thus found himself in a dilemma: hadn't France promised the exiles asylum and protection, and didn't France's honor demand that this promise be kept? Finally, Perrochon overcame this dilemma and, bypassing all regulations, procured a train for those who did not want to fall into the arms of the National Socialists under any circumstances. This is to take them to the Antlantic coast to Bayonne, from where they can escape via Casablanca. One of Perrochon's cousins is willing to take the refugees on his ship - but only within the next 48 hours; time is short. As the ghost train leaves the camp, chaos breaks out there as word spreads that the Germans are already at the gates.Meanwhile, Perrochon is being blackmailed by his cousin. He then asks a young journalist for help, who in turn informs the American consul in Bordeaux. During these last hours, shortly before reaching their destination, the train is stopped - the connection to the camp and to Perrochon is thus cut off, and Perrochon is arrested