Louise and Juliette are two sisters who believed nothing could come between them.
Yet when the Second World War breaks out, they find themselves, almost accidentally, on opposite sides. Louise's husband Charles is a director of a newspaper, and a Jew. They must change their name and seek refuge with their five children in the free zone in Megève. Juliette is married to a prefect who swears allegiance to the Vichy government.
During the entire war both sisters must try desperately to understand the forces that are keeping them apart. In Megève, Louise lives in fear of being exposed and delivered to the nazis. She suffers from the cold and the shortage of food while terrified that the worst has happened to her husband and daughter who have joined the Resistance. But it is Léonard, her brilliant son who is studying in Grenoble, for whom she is willing to make any sacrifice. When the Germans invade the free zone, she decides to return to Paris in spite of the enormous risks involved. At the end of the war, her family is safe but it is now Juliette who badly needs her and, above all, her forgiveness.
After years of separation and incomprehension, the two sisters meet again and together face the arrest of Juliette's husband, accused of collaboration with the enemy.
