A man leaves his 8-year old son with his father-in-law who lives near the glacier where the boy's mother died.

Twenty years after his disappearance and while everyone believes him dead, Jacques returns home incognito under the name Laurent Dupas. He finds his wife Hélène, who has remarried Eric, a bank manager. They all look happy. But behind this idyllic family picture lies a mystery.

In the spring of 1944, in the Woëvre forest of Lorraine, a group of young maquisards takes in four German deserters. led by Saint-Brice is based in the Woevre forest. Lise, a nineteen-year-old girl, is their liaison officer. One evening, four German soldiers turn up as deserters. After a period of doubt, the maquisards agree to integrate them into their group. Lise falls in love with one of the newcomers, Werner, and becomes his mistress. One day, she leaves on a mission with Lucien, and comes across an enemy patrol. The SS shoot Lucien and free Lise. In the camp, people begin to think that the maquis has been betrayed.

Near the end of World War II, Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he cannot maintain control of the city. After much contemplation Choltitz decides to ignore his orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, along with Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling, helps a resistance leader organize his forces.

In 1830s France, a virtuous widow falls for a self-destructive debauchee obsessed with death. Initial resistance gives way to a desperate and cynical romance.

An old and poor couple, Charles and Lucie, scrape by working as a concierge and an untalented antique dealer, respectively. But one day, their dreary daily routine is disrupted by the surprising news that they have inherited a luxurious house in the South of France.

In the German-occupied Paris, Helene is torn between the love for her boyfriend Jean, working for the resistance and the German administrator Bergmann, who will do anything to gain her affection.

Adapted from Les Diaboliques by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly.

Steven Dyer, an executive working for a giant multinational drugs company, decides to report his employer for breaches of Common Market trading regulations. One night in Basle, Switzerland, he leaves his home to post a letter, the start of a nightmare journey that leads to terrible consequences for his life, his career and for his wife and children.