In 1944 Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, a band of Dutch resistance fighters plot to covertly rescue dozens of compatriots from the local Nazi prison.

The mayor receives a letter from America, addressed to the village illiterate, in which his brother writes that he wants to be buried in the Netherlands. People believe that the American is rich and want to make plans for the restoration of the café and the rectory, and the construction of a new cemetery. The mayor also wants the nearby gypsies to move to the designated spot, and the teacher's daughter wants more freedom. Because the doctor is the smartest person in the village, he can get everyone to do what he wants.