A collection of stories about the lives and loves of eight men at a Prisoner of War Camp past five decades . Location shooting at the British portion of Germany adds. The major story is of Hasek (Redgrave) a Czech soldier that must maintain his identity a secret by the Nazis, to do so he poses as a deceased English Officer and corresponds with the man's wife. They opt to continue their own lives and meet. The inmates' stories are shown episodically.