Psychodrama. Black and white images of a mining area under the influence of a highly orthodox Catholicism in the 1930s are interspersed with color images of a protest action to save a small church.

De Mantel der Liefde is a bizarre, over the top and at times hilarious settling of scores with the Catholic Church, commercial movie culture and 1970's petit bourgeois Dutch culture in general.

The film is set in a signalman's house during the German occupation. When it turns out that the mother has committed adultery with a German, things start to go downhill for the father. Germans take over his land, and his children fend for themselves.

Peter is a young journalist who lives and works in Amsterdam, a city with quite a high density of cafés. Peter has a dynamic personality, perhaps a bit too dynamic for himself and his surroundings. He is unaware of the impact his behavior and drinking habits have on others. This leads to conflicts, even with his loyal girlfriend Nanny and his best friend Harry. Will Peter ultimately choose love and friendship or his addiction?

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. A combination of poor allied intelligence and the presence of two crack German panzer divisions meant that the final part of this operation (the bridge in Arnhem over the Rhine) was doomed to failure.