 Based on Lucie Aubrac s autobiographic novel, the movie tells the story of a couple of participants in the French Resistance to German occupation during World War II. Passion and wit help Lucie free her husband Raymond from certain death at the hands of the Gestapo (the German Secret Police) on more than one occasion. The movie highlights the relationship between Lucie and Raymond, and their and others  heroism in battle. Historians still debate whether, in reality, the Aubracs became turncoats and betrayed Jean Moulin ("Max"). Moulin, the Resistance s mastermind and most famous hero, subsequently died without speaking at the hands of notorious Gestapo officer and torturer Klaus Barbie, the "Butcher of Lyons".