Spies Of Warsaw (2013) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
1 The information I've received suggests to me that the Germans are preparing for a different kind of combat.
Is this another one of your gloomy predictions about the likelihood of war? Should I be jealous of the Colonel? I'm in love with you, Anna.
I'd forgotten these feelings.
They took Max! They just took him in the night like a common criminal.
I need to talk to her.
I need a chance to explain.
My friend, she's filled with guilt and anger, because what happened to Max would not have happened if she had not fallen in love.
If I'm going to convince Paris to save your skins, I need a name.
Chaika! That was it! There is a man who might help you.
He was once a professor of ancient languages, now he is hiding in Czechoslovakia because he's hunted by the Gestapo.
You should go there quickly.
I fear he may not be long for this world.
ENGINE ROARS HE CRIES IN PAIN Colonel! A phone call.
Won't it keep till after my morning coffee? There's been a shooting.
SCREAMING WAILING SCREAMING You are Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier, Military Attache at the French Embassy in Warsaw.
But that's not all you do, is it, Colonel? What is it you do? I go after people like you, who undermine the security of my country.
You helped a Russian couple to defect.
Why? They were afraid for their lives.
Presumably offered information in exchange for your help? That's the way things are in our business, hm? I'd like to know what that information was.
I'm not going to tell you so this is a waste of time.
Hm.
Colonel, our countries are not at war.
Not yet, no.
Let's hope never.
We're both men who work in the shadows.
You're involved with a young woman here, I believe? Anna Skarbek? How is that relevant? My point is that we have lives to go back to.
Myself, I am married with a new child on the way.
How will you ever see your family again? You'll never get out of Poland.
You have one man dead, another bleeding like a pig And your car is leaking gasoline.
Could you leave us, nurse? Did you see that smile? She wants me.
How are you feeling? Too early to tell.
What happened? We arrived when the car blew up.
And the Germans? One in the morgue, two in our cells.
Their embassy wants them back.
We've told them not a chance.
Your embassy will be paying you a visit.
Mm.
I want to be out of here before that.
I don't want to give them an excuse to stop me.
Doing what? You know I can't tell you.
But I need to take a trip.
Help me out of here.
Looking like that? Lend me your coat.
Here.
In here.
I'm sorry, sir, he seems to have gone.
Waiting for someone? Looks like she stood me up.
Herr Halbach.
Herr Halbach! Can we talk in private? You're not German.
No.
Can we go inside? Keep your hands where I can see them! Please don't wave that around.
You don't look like the kind of man who's used to firearms.
I'm not, I'm a teacher.
It doesn't mean I won't use it.
What do you want with me? It's your politics that bring me here.
You won't take me alive.
I'll kill you if you try.
- I'm not your enemy.
- Then who the hell are you? I'm a friend.
And I should point out it wasn't all that difficult to find you.
On your knees.
Now! KNOCKING I'm here to offer you sanctuary, Herr Halbach.
How long can you stay here? Months? Years? Perhaps.
Hitler has already marched into Austria.
He'll be here next.
Then where will you go? What exactly is this sanctuary? A Swiss passport and 50,000 Swiss Francs.
That is a great deal of money.
Understand, we are not asking you to do anything against the German people or your homeland.
Only against the Hitler regime.
And what would I have to do for all this? Kill somebody? Visit an old friend, with a request and the same offer we're making to you.
Then both of you can lead new lives.
Wealthy, safe lives.
Consider this an advance.
How do you know I won't take this and disappear? Because then you will have stolen it From us.
And who is this "old friend"? A comrade of yours from the Black Front who works in IN6.
His Russian alias is Chaika.
Now I see what you're after.
But he is in Germany.
I can't go there.
I'm a wanted criminal in Germany.
You'll have a Swiss passport, as have I.
We're salesmen for the same company.
We'll stay in a small hotel and you'll be visible for only one evening.
When would this be? We leave tomorrow.
Tomorrow? But I have classes.
The Herr Professor is indisposed.
Be at the station before ten.
I have a friend here in Tsesin who has made a great difference to me.
I should like to say goodbye.
I'm sorry, that won't be possible.
Send her a postcard.
Your embassy has washed their hands of you.
They say you were acting on your own initiative, without any authority.
So you are not going back to Germany.
You will stay here.
This is a prison for people who never go home.
This is yours, Herr Braun.
And I am Herr Lombardo.
We must get you some more suitable clothes.
Your family can travel on your new passport.
No, no, no, that's all finished, that part of my life.
When I went underground, I sent them away, for their safety.
I no longer know where they are and nor do they know where I am.
Does your friend Chaika have a family? Yes.
And his real name? Johannes Elter.
- Were you close? - Oh, yes.
We both loved the party at the start - the rising up of a defeated nation, the return of pride, the end of poverty.
And then we saw what was happening.
And I have a Jewish grandmother.
What does he do in the General Staff? He's a clerk.
But he's in the thick of things.
- Does he gamble? - No.
He pinches every pfennig.
Visit whores? And spend his own money? So he should be interested in my offer.
Well, Herr Lombardo That depends on how afraid he is.
How did you know I was in Warsaw? It's my business to know.
Will you be here long? No.
I came to close the apartment.
There are books everywhere.
Help yourself.
Pity Mercier is not in town.
He would want to see you.
I have no wish to see him, Antoni.
Anna, I know everything that goes on in Internal Security.
The request to expel Max did not come from Mercier.
It came from the French.
Not from Mercier.
Then from whom? I'm not exactly sure.
I thought you knew everything.
Apparently you don't.
I know he loves you.
If he didn't, I would try to seduce you.
Where do you go from here? The League is sending me to Spain.
Spain? The country's in the middle of civil war.
I'll be negotiating the release of foreign nationals.
I leave tomorrow.
Where is Jean-Francois? On his way to Paris, I believe.
Paris? Paesse, bitte.
You're both Swiss? You're travelling together? We work for the same company.
Couldn't your people afford a decent hotel? Too conspicuous.
Danke.
KNOCKING So, you're meeting with Elter.
If he's reluctant, remind him - it's Hitler and his clique that want to take the country into war.
And if it comes, it's the German people who will suffer.
Ah, the moral argument.
BOTTLE SMASHES AND SHOUTS ON THE STRRE That will bring the police! They're SS.
The police won't bother them.
(WHISPERING) Why did you tell them about me? I have always been a faithful friend to you.
That's why I'm here.
How long can you stay out of a Gestapo cellar? And you'll only be harming Hitler.
KNOCKING I think we have to leave.
There was a man in the lobby, an SS Oberscharfuehrer.
I think he recognised me.
From where? I've spent many hours being questioned by the Gestapo.
He could have been there.
Pack your things.
- You can't do this! - Get in.
This is madness! You can't steal this car.
They'll be in there for hours.
So, Elter.
What happened? He's unsure.
The first ferry's at eight.
You can get a train to Copenhagen at the other side.
Once you're there, you can do whatever you like.
I'd almost forgotten that kind of life.
The funds are in Zurich.
We're true to our word.
Will all this make any difference? I have to believe it will.
Halbach told me you always arrived first.
So we have a few moments before the others get here.
I-I can't do it! What you're asking, it is too dangerous.
If there was more money, would you find it less dangerous? - You must understand - I understand greed.
- You must understand - It makes things very simple between us.
You are asking me to betray my country.
You've betrayed it before, to the Soviets.
Chaika.
Wasn't that your code name? The Gestapo would be interested to know that.
We'll meet as arranged.
This is not about greed.
One day, I will have to leave.
Your money is for that.
For my family's safety, God willing.
You have children, I believe.
Three.
I cannot tell them of my feelings for Hitler, for what is happening here because their teachers, they believe it all.
My eldest, he wears the same uniform as the ones over there.
So, how will this work? Same place, same time, every other week, someone will pick up the drop.
In my heart, I have always been a traitor.
Much of what he gave me was pointless.
But everything you see here is not.
It's a forest survey map of the Ardennes, a report on the range of German tanks, another on ground clearances.
What interests me is what's not here.
Nothing on the Maginot Line.
Nothing on our defence system on the Eastern Frontier.
No forts, no bunkers, no pillboxes.
Exactly.
It confirms what we feared most.
They're coming with tanks through the Belgian forests.
Well, this should persuade the unbelievers.
Now we'll be ready for them.
You've done well, Jean-Francois.
I've recommended that you take up a position here in General Staff.
There's nothing to keep me in Warsaw anymore.
Thank you, sir.
- Hello.
- Finally! A visit from my big brother! Welcome.
MUSIC PLAYS ON THE RADIO How long have you worked here? A while now.
Etienne also deals in art for private clients.
I could find you something vibrant and cheerful for the estate.
Anything's better than those gloomy ancestors on horseback.
I'm so out of touch with you.
I don't even know where you live.
Oh, we only live three streets away.
We? Armand and I.
Something else I didn't know about you.
What does Armand do? He plays piano in a nightclub, so you probably won't approve.
- Weren't you with, erm? - Daniel.
Yes, I rather liked Daniel.
What happened to him? A Bluebell girl happened.
Which is absurd, she's four inches taller than he is.
So you found solace in Armand? It's more serious than that.
There was a lady in your life the last time you wrote to me.
I told you to pursue her.
I did.
And? I think I may have lost her.
PHONE RINGS Anna Skarbek.
'It's me.
' Jean-Francois? 'How did you know I was here?' I called the League.
They finally gave me a number.
- Where are you? - 'In Paris.
' I want you to live with me here.
'I can't do that.
'I know what happened to Max was not your fault.
'I thought so at the time because I was angry.
' Then I realised it was easier to blame you than myself.
Blame yourself for what? I compromised you, so your Embassy had him expelled.
'None of that would have happened if we hadn't had an affair.
' We fell in love! And Max is dead because we did.
I can't forget that.
'And every moment we spend together would remind me of it.
' I have to see you.
I need you, Anna.
You'll survive without me, Jean-Francois.
If any of us survive at all.
PHONE HANGS UP Caviar! Look, Viktor, such luxury! How kind.
Thank you so much.
Are you comfortable where you live? They call it a safe house, but to be frank, it does not feel safe.
You have no protection? Not since they finished the debriefing.
Now that they have everything they need to know, we are dispensable.
What did you tell them about Max Mostov? Nothing that we hadn't already told Moscow in our reports, about his behaviour and opinions.
You heard he's been deported? Yes.
Why would they do that? He wasn't dangerous.
Will you remind them, Colonel that we should never stay in one place for too long? Yes, I will.
We are not the Colonel's concern now, Viktor.
Yes, you are.
I guaranteed your safety.
'On behalf of us all, Mercier,' congratulations are certainly in order.
Bravo! Thank you, gentlemen.
And I am delighted to announce that you are to be promoted to the rank of full Colonel.
I'm honoured.
No more than you deserve.
We've been through the documents with a fine-tooth comb.
- They certainly seem to point in one direction.
- I'm glad you agree, sir.
Of course, we do have to consider the possibility that we're being misled.
Misled? Almost too good to be true, isn't he? This agent - what's his name? Johannes Elter.
Elter, yes.
Yes, it strikes some of us as dubious that you persuaded him so easily.
I threatened him with exposure if he failed to cooperate.
Even so, disinformation is the oldest game in the world, surely? Steering your enemy away from your true intention.
I don't understand.
You're disputing the information I've given you and at the same time you're promoting me.
That makes no sense.
My dear Mercier, this work that you've done has given us an invaluable insight into the mentality of IN6.
This is not about mentality, this is about facts! The Germans are planning to invade France through Belgium.
That was my conclusion after I witnessed their tank manoeuvres.
Elter confirms it! If you ignore this, you are putting our country in peril! We'll continue the payments to Elter and the other arrangements that you set up.
But we do not recommend changing our entire military strategy.
Good day, Colonel.
PIANO PLAYS LAUGHTER Scotch.
Not champagne? I have nothing to celebrate.
LAUGHTER Why did you choose this place? - Because I want you to meet Armand.
- Where is he? Oh, for God's sake, there's only one piano player.
He's too old for you.
- He's 36.
- Too old! Why are you in such a foul mood? All sorts of reasons.
Where's that Scotch? Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt's land Tell old Pharaoh To let my people go When Israel was in Egypt's land Let my people go Oppressed so hard they could not stand Lady Angela.
I think we can dispense with "Lady".
I hear you're staying in Paris.
I'd like to give you a party.
I'm not really a party person.
I didn't think you were a nightclub person.
My sister brought me.
Ah, so she isn't the woman in your life.
I've heard there is one.
An amour fou, so they say.
Not anymore.
Oh, dear.
Was she too young? Do I look like the sort of man who preys on younger women? I don't know.
You've given no hint that you prey on women of my age.
Perhaps I don't understand women of any age.
You're a little drunk, Jean-Francois.
Do you think you could stagger as far as the Rue Bonaparte? What's there? My apartment.
Let my people go.
Prairie oyster, never fails.
Never fails to what? Clear your head.
Drink it down like a good boy.
Last night I was in a strange mood.
I drank too much.
Oh, Jean-Francois, we had fun in a boozy nightclub and then we fucked.
It's nothing more complicated than that.
What are your plans? I'm taking unpaid leave.
I've neglected my estate too long.
We must stay in touch.
I think we can be of use to our countries.
I don't know if my country feels I'm any use at all.
Well, that's because Lessard and half your general staff are with that bunch of fascists in the Action Francaise.
They want France in bed with Germany.
Anything that buffers them from the red menace.
We have plenty of idiots in England who feel the same way.
I'll make coffee.
INAUDIBLE GUNSHO DOOR OPENS We were supposed to look after the Rozens.
We did.
We gave them money, an apartment.
They expected to live in some degree of safety, not afraid to walk down the street.
So you'd have me sanction what, precisely? 24-hour protection with a team of bodyguards for a couple of tired old Bolsheviks? They gave us everything they knew.
And when they did, they knew the life they were getting into.
A bullet in broad daylight? Occupational hazard.
Should be grateful the Russians can't shoot straight.
How ironic, Viktor, that die-hard communists should end up living in bourgeois splendour.
Nah, there's nothing very splendid about the plumbing.
Fernand, this is Viktor and Malka Rozen.
- How long will they be staying, Monsieur? - Not sure.
Be on guard for strangers in the village, in the field.
Because of our visitors? I understand.
Thank you.
My brother won't take phone calls or answer my letters.
You have a fight? No.
He was like this when his wife died.
He went into this dark place and stayed there for a long time.
I'd like us to visit him.
Well, seeing me won't improve his mood.
I don't like the country.
I don't like dogs.
I play jazz piano and I smoke 40 Gauloises a day.
Please, do this for me.
Why haven't you been to see me? Is the night life of Warsaw so enticing? I haven't been in Warsaw, Mother.
Hmm.
You can't settle anywhere, can you? Which makes me think you're unhappy.
My work is important.
I've never quite understood what it is.
Is this my colour? Of course it is.
I thought you might need it.
I know how you feel the cold.
They'll steal it.
No, they won't.
How's your officer? He's not Polish, you said.
French.
Your Frenchman's a gentleman? He's not my gentleman anymore.
DOG BARKS I'm sorry - who are you? I'm Armand.
The piano player.
And yours needs tuning, by the way.
Oh, you're Gabrielle's friend.
A little more than that, Colonel.
What are you doing here? Why didn't I know you were coming? Because you'd have found some excuse not to see us.
How are you? You look terrible.
James Joyce said that Ireland is the only country that has never persecuted the Jews.
Do you know why? No, why? BOTH ROZENS: Because they never let them in! More and more Jewish people are coming to Paris.
Many of them come to my stall, trying to sell paintings, jewellery.
And when they've sold them, where do they plan to go? Hmm? Palestine? America? I don't have an art collection to sell.
I guess I could always play piano on an ocean liner if the war breaks out, jump ship in Havana.
You could play in a casino and I'll be the cigarette girl.
For God's sake, you two, be serious.
This life we have, this life we love, you take for granted.
It could all vanish.
Just like that.
So what do you suggest? We live every day afraid of tomorrow? MALKA: That's how we were living.
A little less now, thanks to your brother.
At least be aware of what tomorrow might be.
People act as though the worst will never happen.
That's just how you act yourself.
How can you say that? You don't do anything about anything.
Apart from drink your way through Father's cellar.
Do you think your father would mind if we, er, drank another one? Help yourself.
If you'll excuse me.
Good night.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Emile saw the pair of them.
Driving up to the woods above the south meadow.
The two you described to me.
You stay here.
Of course, sir.
Where's the Colonel going? We'll find out at dinner tonight.
TWIG SNAPS TWO GUNSHOTS We need shovels.
I blame myself.
The Soviets knew it was me you approached in Warsaw.
They were bound to make the connection sooner or later.
So these men who came? I've dealt with that situation.
Fernand is driving their car to Lyon.
He'll dump it somewhere.
And us? I spoke to Paris last night and again this morning.
You're going to Brittany, a pretty village, apparently, on the sea.
I'll drive you as far as Paris.
You're leaving too? Yes.
My sister's right.
I've been buried here for too long.
I brought you these.
Oh.
I was rather hoping for truffles.
Don't they come from your neck of the woods? - You don't look like you need them.
- What was it? - Gallstones.
- How on earth does one get gallstones? - 50 years of foie gras and charcuterie? - Rubbish.
So why are you here? I need to go to work, General.
I need to get back in the game.
Recently, we reached an agreement with the Poles in the event of their being invaded.
We're talking about a very dangerous mission.
It's essential to their sovereignty and long-term survival.
It's only known to a few at the highest possible level.
I had a man leaving in two days.
But you know the Poles better.
You can replace him.
Thank you.
I'd like to see whatever you've received from Elter in the last few months.
Rather dull reading recently, but I'll arrange it with Lessard.
And when you get back from Warsaw, I'll be out of this place and we can enjoy a really good lunch.
Will your doctors allow it? I won't invite them.
So, you think you can find things in here that we missed, is that it? Not at all.
I just want to get back in the picture.
It's been a while.
And yet you're off on a high-priority mission which is classified to us mere mortals.
I know Poland.
I have contacts and connections.
And Beauvilliers behind you.
That won't last long if war breaks out.
You still say "if".
I've set the meeting in here.
Your old apartment's empty so you can stay there.
No housekeeper, I'm afraid.
How long will you be with us? Two days, perhaps.
Oh, what a shame.
It's not the same without you.
Have you been in touch with Anna? She's in New York at the moment.
- New York! Goodness.
- The League has a pavilion at the World's Fair.
Ah, Mercier! Couldn't stay away, huh? Erm, do you want me to sit in on this meeting? Thank you, that won't be necessary.
Ah, I see.
So there's nothing that you need? Coffee would be nice.
Obviously the Germans will attack from the west, so our route has to be south-east, into Romania.
Our Foreign Ministry has already made overtures with Bucharest.
There'll be a freighter at Constanza on the Black Sea.
It will fly a neutral flag but have a French crew and an armed escort.
It will take the consignment to Marseilles.
Ultimate destination - Zurich.
I want you to be the person who sees it through.
I'll insist on it.
Of course, I hope it never comes to this.
We both know it will.
When I was last here, I got a tip that led to me setting up an informant in IN6 in Berlin.
Anything to share with me? You wouldn't want it.
I've been over all the recent material in the last two days.
I think it's tainted.
Is Doctor Lapp in Warsaw? He is.
Why? It was Lapp who gave me the tip.
The world has not improved since we saw each other last, I fear.
When I saw you in Berlin, I was grateful for your discretion.
If war does break out, you will understand that I must serve my country, - whoever its leaders.
- Of course.
I wanted to thank you for the Halbach connection.
As far as I know, he's safe.
Yes, I had heard that.
And did it lead you to his contact? Or am I asking too much? It did.
He's been very useful.
Except I think he's been exposed.
Turned.
- Feeding us what the Nazis want us to believe.
- Really? What makes you think so? The quality of his intelligence.
You have powerful connections in Berlin, Doctor.
Would it be possible to confirm my suspicions? - Are they shared by the Deuxieme Bureau?- No.
So far I've kept this to myself.
I suggest you do, until I have made some enquiries.
I will be discreet, but we are on dangerous ground, you and I.
FLOORBOARDS CREAK MORE CREAKING GUNSHO HE PANTS A few hours after I confided in Doctor Lapp, someone came to kill me.
So I can only assume he was trying to silence me.
If I convinced my superiors of my suspicions, then the Elter pipeline would be useless to the Nazis.
You think Lapp set you up in the first place - to discover Elter's identity? - Convinced of it.
Did you get Pakulski to arrest him? There's no evidence.
Nothing they can hold him on.
Besides, if you know who your enemy is, it's sometimes best to keep him in play.
What a tortured, twisted business this espionage is.
Do you want to add gout to gallstones? I dreamed of this when I was in hospital.
How seriously do you regard Lady Angela? She may seem frivolous but she has very good connections - with people who have Churchill's ear.
- Can you put things in motion? Oh, sooner than you think.
- I'm sure he is.
- But clearly, - discretion is called for at this point.
- Yes.
Colonel Mercier, I'd like to introduce Duff Cooper.
You have sympathetic ears here, Colonel.
This is my analysis of the Belgian scenario.
Though I should add that some of my superiors don't give it much credence.
We'll meet again, Colonel, possibly later tonight.
I leave that to you, Angela.
Duff is Churchill's Private Secretary, so your report won't gather dust in an in-tray.
If they respond well, you might want to follow this up with a trip across the Channel.
Not too onerous a mission? A midnight sleeper to London with Her Ladyship.
I think it might be safer if we flew.
By the way, who was that man who didn't say anything? He's in our game.
I think his name's Philby.
INAUDIBLE LAUGHTER What is it? Max Mostov! God in heaven! The dashing Colonel.
Handsome as ever, I see.
I assumed you were dead.
Or in a gulag.
I was fortunate.
They gave me a rap on the knuckles, then threw me in jail for a few months.
And then they send you to Paris to recuperate? You're a liar.
You're one of theirs.
You always were.
You had us all fooled, I give you that.
You know, when you are always with people who don't know who you really are, who do not know that secret part of you, it makes you feel, in a way, above them.
Do you think that's the appeal? Nothing about that appeals to me.
Water under the bridge.
This is a crazy business of ours, hey? Look at us.
Now we are comrades in arms, Soviets and French united against the dreaded Hitler.
HE CHUCKLES We should drink to this.
I don't want to drink with you, Max.
Suit yourself.
I hear it did not go so well with you and the lovely Anna.
She wasted a lot of pointless tears on you.
DOOR OPENS And I tell you something.
I would have her back.
Just like that! I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands.
Then I calmed down and realised, I have to tell Anna.
- It's going to make all the difference.
- And have you? Not yet.
She's on her way back from New York.
Is this the love of your life? The second love of my life.
Armand's my third.
The first two don't really count.
Thank you.
Your love will be put to the test if there's a war.
Because Armand's a Jew? Maybe he should take that boat to Havana.
He won't leave Paris.
And he won't leave me.
Forgive the intrusion.
May I join you for a moment? Of course, please.
Do you want to talk in private? No, my dear.
The whole world will know when it wakes up in the morning.
The Deuxieme Bureau has picked up an intercept to the German Embassy.
Hitler has signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin.
What? Two men who vilified each other for years.
They'd make Machiavelli proud.
Only days ago, the Russians were at that conference with their bland smiles and bad suits.
They signed an agreement with us! - And what does this mean? - It's a vile and cynical tactic so that Russia and Germany can carve up Poland between them.
War is inevitable, a matter of days.
You must leave as soon as possible.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS Oh, my dear girl, what a terrible time for Poland, terrible.
What are you doing here? Colonel Mercier asked me to meet you.
He should be in Warsaw in a day or so and he's desperate to see you.
I don't wish to see him.
I think you might, my dear, when you hear what he's asked me to tell you.
It's about Max.
Malka, we will always be afraid.
Either as defectors or Jews.
We live among strangers.
Who knows who will be the first to point the finger? This way we will be together, always.
Good to see you, Colonel.
You too, Marek.
What's the mood here? Everyone under 40 has to collect call-up papers.
- Plus all reservists and ex-soldiers.
- Not you? The Colonel wants me on this assignment you're on.
He won't tell me what it is.
What do you want from me? First, your silence about everything you see and hear from now on.
I need all the seats ripped out of those coaches and the floorboards taken up to make room for some crates.
Everything needs to be back in place by tomorrow morning.
Is it ammunition? I mean, I need to know if this thing could blow up at any minute.
I can't tell you what it is.
And I'm supposed to drive it? That's what you do, isn't it? For 40 years, yes.
Was this the original plan? Everything's changed since those bastards took us by surprise.
We're improvising.
So when will we leave? Not before morning.
I'll check in with the Embassy.
Oh! Last night.
Bold as brass in the Cafe Cleo.
Dr Lapp, with his coffee and his cognac, expressing his regret that these things have come to pass between our two great nations.
He's still here? Yes.
What have you heard? German tanks are heading for Poland.
52 divisions, that's a million and a half men.
And Stalin has 40 divisions on our eastern border.
They'll bomb the airfields first.
Then telephone exchanges.
When will you get out? We're waiting for Paris to tell us.
You were right all along.
I'll take this to the Ambassador.
- Anna? - I saw her.
I told her about Max.
And? Shock.
Tears.
Regret.
I have to see her.
Where is she? She went to the country to be with her mother.
I have an address.
Why have I been brought to this dreadful place? You're accused of espionage, Dr Lapp.
Accused by whom? Colonel Mercier.
That's outrageous.
He has no evidence.
We don't need evidence.
We are not arresting you.
We are detaining you under the Emergency Powers Act.
There's no such thing! It's what we enact when we're about to be invaded by a hostile foreign power.
I demand to speak to someone from my Embassy.
Your demand is duly noted.
Now, give me your belt and shoes.
How many more of those are there? Another two truckloads.
What's the total weight? About 40,000 kilograms.
That's more than the average train packed with passengers.
We don't need to be fast, we just need to look like an ordinary train.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS KNOCKING ON DOOR Did you sleep? Hardly.
It's started.
German commando units have crossed the border, backed up by six armoured and eight motorized divisions.
God preserve us, we're at war.
We could have some of your decent Scotch if there's any left.
I'll bring it with me.
Let's go.
Car's outside.
Anna's mother's estate is just 30 minutes from a station on our route.
A place called Borek.
I'm going to get her and meet you there.
You are not.
You have orders.
I'm asking for a few hours, Antoni.
Request denied.
You know what we have to do here.
My official mission begins at the Romanian border.
No, your official mission begins here, now, with me.
And if you jeopardise it, I'll see you are court-martialled.
I will make it back to the train.
If something goes wrong, you'll be stranded in the middle of Poland with Russians coming one way and Germans the other.
So you die in your lover's arms, that will console you? I have to do this.
Jean-Francois, you are my friend.
We've been friends for 20 years.
But if you're not at that station, I won't wait even a minute.
I understand.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS Where did these children come from? From the city, Mother.
It's safer for them here.
I used to love the sound of the servants' children when the house was ours.
Sometimes they forget about our lunch.
Most of the nurses have left.
We're at war, Mother.
It's started.
My two brothers died in the last one.
Patryk was only 18.
But they said there would never be another one.
The soup was cold yesterday.
What are you doing here? I've come for you, Anna.
You wasted a year on guilt and tears.
A year of our lives we should have spent with each other.
What a stupid woman I was.
I believed it all.
I thought Max was a soul that needed saving.
It was all a deception.
I've missed you.
You'd better introduce me to your mother.
Mother, this is Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier.
An honour, Ma'am.
A gentleman indeed.
How kind of you to come and visit us.
No-one else ever does.
I want you both to come with me.
- Where to? - Out of Poland.
We have to pick up a train 20 kilometres from here.
So be as quick as you can, take as little as you need.
Are you from Paris? I loved it when we lived in Paris.
We were near that famous bakery.
Mother, you heard the Colonel.
We have to leave.
I don't have the clothes for Paris.
It will be all new fashions.
You must go, Anna.
No! I won't leave you here.
But you should.
You're in love.
You have a life ahead of you.
Mine's behind me.
I can see smoke.
Look! Do we slow down? Not if he's not there.
He's not stopping! The car.
It's the car, Colonel.
Colonel? Hit the brakes! You cut it fine.
Thank God I had a French car.
Good to see you, Anna.
OK, let's go.
We're heading for the border.
You, Pakulski, armed guards.
What's going on? We have a hidden cargo.
Under our feet? What is it? We're evacuating the entire Polish national bullion reserve.
Before the Nazis can get their hands on it.
Gold? 40 cases.
10 ingots in every case.
- To Romania? - And beyond.
Vladimir Herschensohn.
Principal violinist of the Polish National Symphony Orchestra.
Roman Kosinksi.
Oh, a student? I was.
Now I've no idea what I am.
And I may never see my family again.
You must believe that you will.
That they will survive and so will you.
You survived polio.
Is it true we are headed for Romania? So they say.
Ah, I have cousins there.
They have a fine orchestra.
If they won't have me, it will mean a cap on the pavement.
Will you go back to fight this war, Colonel? We both will.
THEY SPEAK GERMAN Stop! Stop! Good of you to let us know.
We're Polish.
What's happening? There's a girl.
What's happened? I'm not sure, stay here.
You two with me.
Here, take this.
I don't know how to use this.
I'll show you.
I didn't always play the violin.
Get in.
Is something wrong? Please, Excellency.
Take me with you.
Stay here, don't leave the bullion.
I'm going to see what's happening.
You don't have to pay me.
Where do you live? Where is your family? Gone.
HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE I don't speak your language.
Who are you? I work for the railroad.
You don't look like railroad worker.
Anything valuable on this train? Just people, heading for the border.
Running, huh? Why not? The Poles are finished.
What do you want from us? Money.
Jewellery.
Women.
Don't worry, we won't take ugly ones.
Give me that watch.
You don't get this working for railroad.
What do you see down there? HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE GUNSHO TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS Are you all right? Fine.
There's two more back in the carriage, they're not going anywhere.
I'm sorry.
They make me.
Why don't we settle in a cabin in the wild - a well, a few goats and hundreds of miles from the war? I'd need dogs.
And some books.
And a good cellar.
And I'd learn to sew.
Where are we anyway? We'll reach the border tomorrow.
And then? I'll never let you out of my sight.
Could be in France in four or five weeks, we'll get married.
If you want to make a respectable woman of me, I'm afraid you're too late.
I can still try.
Looks like we're expected.
If it goes well with the Romanians, the rest is up to you.
The future is uncertain, to say the least.
Whatever it may be, you two face it together.
What now? We do our best to stay alive.
by Red Bee Media Ltd
Is this another one of your gloomy predictions about the likelihood of war? Should I be jealous of the Colonel? I'm in love with you, Anna.
I'd forgotten these feelings.
They took Max! They just took him in the night like a common criminal.
I need to talk to her.
I need a chance to explain.
My friend, she's filled with guilt and anger, because what happened to Max would not have happened if she had not fallen in love.
If I'm going to convince Paris to save your skins, I need a name.
Chaika! That was it! There is a man who might help you.
He was once a professor of ancient languages, now he is hiding in Czechoslovakia because he's hunted by the Gestapo.
You should go there quickly.
I fear he may not be long for this world.
ENGINE ROARS HE CRIES IN PAIN Colonel! A phone call.
Won't it keep till after my morning coffee? There's been a shooting.
SCREAMING WAILING SCREAMING You are Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier, Military Attache at the French Embassy in Warsaw.
But that's not all you do, is it, Colonel? What is it you do? I go after people like you, who undermine the security of my country.
You helped a Russian couple to defect.
Why? They were afraid for their lives.
Presumably offered information in exchange for your help? That's the way things are in our business, hm? I'd like to know what that information was.
I'm not going to tell you so this is a waste of time.
Hm.
Colonel, our countries are not at war.
Not yet, no.
Let's hope never.
We're both men who work in the shadows.
You're involved with a young woman here, I believe? Anna Skarbek? How is that relevant? My point is that we have lives to go back to.
Myself, I am married with a new child on the way.
How will you ever see your family again? You'll never get out of Poland.
You have one man dead, another bleeding like a pig And your car is leaking gasoline.
Could you leave us, nurse? Did you see that smile? She wants me.
How are you feeling? Too early to tell.
What happened? We arrived when the car blew up.
And the Germans? One in the morgue, two in our cells.
Their embassy wants them back.
We've told them not a chance.
Your embassy will be paying you a visit.
Mm.
I want to be out of here before that.
I don't want to give them an excuse to stop me.
Doing what? You know I can't tell you.
But I need to take a trip.
Help me out of here.
Looking like that? Lend me your coat.
Here.
In here.
I'm sorry, sir, he seems to have gone.
Waiting for someone? Looks like she stood me up.
Herr Halbach.
Herr Halbach! Can we talk in private? You're not German.
No.
Can we go inside? Keep your hands where I can see them! Please don't wave that around.
You don't look like the kind of man who's used to firearms.
I'm not, I'm a teacher.
It doesn't mean I won't use it.
What do you want with me? It's your politics that bring me here.
You won't take me alive.
I'll kill you if you try.
- I'm not your enemy.
- Then who the hell are you? I'm a friend.
And I should point out it wasn't all that difficult to find you.
On your knees.
Now! KNOCKING I'm here to offer you sanctuary, Herr Halbach.
How long can you stay here? Months? Years? Perhaps.
Hitler has already marched into Austria.
He'll be here next.
Then where will you go? What exactly is this sanctuary? A Swiss passport and 50,000 Swiss Francs.
That is a great deal of money.
Understand, we are not asking you to do anything against the German people or your homeland.
Only against the Hitler regime.
And what would I have to do for all this? Kill somebody? Visit an old friend, with a request and the same offer we're making to you.
Then both of you can lead new lives.
Wealthy, safe lives.
Consider this an advance.
How do you know I won't take this and disappear? Because then you will have stolen it From us.
And who is this "old friend"? A comrade of yours from the Black Front who works in IN6.
His Russian alias is Chaika.
Now I see what you're after.
But he is in Germany.
I can't go there.
I'm a wanted criminal in Germany.
You'll have a Swiss passport, as have I.
We're salesmen for the same company.
We'll stay in a small hotel and you'll be visible for only one evening.
When would this be? We leave tomorrow.
Tomorrow? But I have classes.
The Herr Professor is indisposed.
Be at the station before ten.
I have a friend here in Tsesin who has made a great difference to me.
I should like to say goodbye.
I'm sorry, that won't be possible.
Send her a postcard.
Your embassy has washed their hands of you.
They say you were acting on your own initiative, without any authority.
So you are not going back to Germany.
You will stay here.
This is a prison for people who never go home.
This is yours, Herr Braun.
And I am Herr Lombardo.
We must get you some more suitable clothes.
Your family can travel on your new passport.
No, no, no, that's all finished, that part of my life.
When I went underground, I sent them away, for their safety.
I no longer know where they are and nor do they know where I am.
Does your friend Chaika have a family? Yes.
And his real name? Johannes Elter.
- Were you close? - Oh, yes.
We both loved the party at the start - the rising up of a defeated nation, the return of pride, the end of poverty.
And then we saw what was happening.
And I have a Jewish grandmother.
What does he do in the General Staff? He's a clerk.
But he's in the thick of things.
- Does he gamble? - No.
He pinches every pfennig.
Visit whores? And spend his own money? So he should be interested in my offer.
Well, Herr Lombardo That depends on how afraid he is.
How did you know I was in Warsaw? It's my business to know.
Will you be here long? No.
I came to close the apartment.
There are books everywhere.
Help yourself.
Pity Mercier is not in town.
He would want to see you.
I have no wish to see him, Antoni.
Anna, I know everything that goes on in Internal Security.
The request to expel Max did not come from Mercier.
It came from the French.
Not from Mercier.
Then from whom? I'm not exactly sure.
I thought you knew everything.
Apparently you don't.
I know he loves you.
If he didn't, I would try to seduce you.
Where do you go from here? The League is sending me to Spain.
Spain? The country's in the middle of civil war.
I'll be negotiating the release of foreign nationals.
I leave tomorrow.
Where is Jean-Francois? On his way to Paris, I believe.
Paris? Paesse, bitte.
You're both Swiss? You're travelling together? We work for the same company.
Couldn't your people afford a decent hotel? Too conspicuous.
Danke.
KNOCKING So, you're meeting with Elter.
If he's reluctant, remind him - it's Hitler and his clique that want to take the country into war.
And if it comes, it's the German people who will suffer.
Ah, the moral argument.
BOTTLE SMASHES AND SHOUTS ON THE STRRE That will bring the police! They're SS.
The police won't bother them.
(WHISPERING) Why did you tell them about me? I have always been a faithful friend to you.
That's why I'm here.
How long can you stay out of a Gestapo cellar? And you'll only be harming Hitler.
KNOCKING I think we have to leave.
There was a man in the lobby, an SS Oberscharfuehrer.
I think he recognised me.
From where? I've spent many hours being questioned by the Gestapo.
He could have been there.
Pack your things.
- You can't do this! - Get in.
This is madness! You can't steal this car.
They'll be in there for hours.
So, Elter.
What happened? He's unsure.
The first ferry's at eight.
You can get a train to Copenhagen at the other side.
Once you're there, you can do whatever you like.
I'd almost forgotten that kind of life.
The funds are in Zurich.
We're true to our word.
Will all this make any difference? I have to believe it will.
Halbach told me you always arrived first.
So we have a few moments before the others get here.
I-I can't do it! What you're asking, it is too dangerous.
If there was more money, would you find it less dangerous? - You must understand - I understand greed.
- You must understand - It makes things very simple between us.
You are asking me to betray my country.
You've betrayed it before, to the Soviets.
Chaika.
Wasn't that your code name? The Gestapo would be interested to know that.
We'll meet as arranged.
This is not about greed.
One day, I will have to leave.
Your money is for that.
For my family's safety, God willing.
You have children, I believe.
Three.
I cannot tell them of my feelings for Hitler, for what is happening here because their teachers, they believe it all.
My eldest, he wears the same uniform as the ones over there.
So, how will this work? Same place, same time, every other week, someone will pick up the drop.
In my heart, I have always been a traitor.
Much of what he gave me was pointless.
But everything you see here is not.
It's a forest survey map of the Ardennes, a report on the range of German tanks, another on ground clearances.
What interests me is what's not here.
Nothing on the Maginot Line.
Nothing on our defence system on the Eastern Frontier.
No forts, no bunkers, no pillboxes.
Exactly.
It confirms what we feared most.
They're coming with tanks through the Belgian forests.
Well, this should persuade the unbelievers.
Now we'll be ready for them.
You've done well, Jean-Francois.
I've recommended that you take up a position here in General Staff.
There's nothing to keep me in Warsaw anymore.
Thank you, sir.
- Hello.
- Finally! A visit from my big brother! Welcome.
MUSIC PLAYS ON THE RADIO How long have you worked here? A while now.
Etienne also deals in art for private clients.
I could find you something vibrant and cheerful for the estate.
Anything's better than those gloomy ancestors on horseback.
I'm so out of touch with you.
I don't even know where you live.
Oh, we only live three streets away.
We? Armand and I.
Something else I didn't know about you.
What does Armand do? He plays piano in a nightclub, so you probably won't approve.
- Weren't you with, erm? - Daniel.
Yes, I rather liked Daniel.
What happened to him? A Bluebell girl happened.
Which is absurd, she's four inches taller than he is.
So you found solace in Armand? It's more serious than that.
There was a lady in your life the last time you wrote to me.
I told you to pursue her.
I did.
And? I think I may have lost her.
PHONE RINGS Anna Skarbek.
'It's me.
' Jean-Francois? 'How did you know I was here?' I called the League.
They finally gave me a number.
- Where are you? - 'In Paris.
' I want you to live with me here.
'I can't do that.
'I know what happened to Max was not your fault.
'I thought so at the time because I was angry.
' Then I realised it was easier to blame you than myself.
Blame yourself for what? I compromised you, so your Embassy had him expelled.
'None of that would have happened if we hadn't had an affair.
' We fell in love! And Max is dead because we did.
I can't forget that.
'And every moment we spend together would remind me of it.
' I have to see you.
I need you, Anna.
You'll survive without me, Jean-Francois.
If any of us survive at all.
PHONE HANGS UP Caviar! Look, Viktor, such luxury! How kind.
Thank you so much.
Are you comfortable where you live? They call it a safe house, but to be frank, it does not feel safe.
You have no protection? Not since they finished the debriefing.
Now that they have everything they need to know, we are dispensable.
What did you tell them about Max Mostov? Nothing that we hadn't already told Moscow in our reports, about his behaviour and opinions.
You heard he's been deported? Yes.
Why would they do that? He wasn't dangerous.
Will you remind them, Colonel that we should never stay in one place for too long? Yes, I will.
We are not the Colonel's concern now, Viktor.
Yes, you are.
I guaranteed your safety.
'On behalf of us all, Mercier,' congratulations are certainly in order.
Bravo! Thank you, gentlemen.
And I am delighted to announce that you are to be promoted to the rank of full Colonel.
I'm honoured.
No more than you deserve.
We've been through the documents with a fine-tooth comb.
- They certainly seem to point in one direction.
- I'm glad you agree, sir.
Of course, we do have to consider the possibility that we're being misled.
Misled? Almost too good to be true, isn't he? This agent - what's his name? Johannes Elter.
Elter, yes.
Yes, it strikes some of us as dubious that you persuaded him so easily.
I threatened him with exposure if he failed to cooperate.
Even so, disinformation is the oldest game in the world, surely? Steering your enemy away from your true intention.
I don't understand.
You're disputing the information I've given you and at the same time you're promoting me.
That makes no sense.
My dear Mercier, this work that you've done has given us an invaluable insight into the mentality of IN6.
This is not about mentality, this is about facts! The Germans are planning to invade France through Belgium.
That was my conclusion after I witnessed their tank manoeuvres.
Elter confirms it! If you ignore this, you are putting our country in peril! We'll continue the payments to Elter and the other arrangements that you set up.
But we do not recommend changing our entire military strategy.
Good day, Colonel.
PIANO PLAYS LAUGHTER Scotch.
Not champagne? I have nothing to celebrate.
LAUGHTER Why did you choose this place? - Because I want you to meet Armand.
- Where is he? Oh, for God's sake, there's only one piano player.
He's too old for you.
- He's 36.
- Too old! Why are you in such a foul mood? All sorts of reasons.
Where's that Scotch? Go down, Moses, Way down in Egypt's land Tell old Pharaoh To let my people go When Israel was in Egypt's land Let my people go Oppressed so hard they could not stand Lady Angela.
I think we can dispense with "Lady".
I hear you're staying in Paris.
I'd like to give you a party.
I'm not really a party person.
I didn't think you were a nightclub person.
My sister brought me.
Ah, so she isn't the woman in your life.
I've heard there is one.
An amour fou, so they say.
Not anymore.
Oh, dear.
Was she too young? Do I look like the sort of man who preys on younger women? I don't know.
You've given no hint that you prey on women of my age.
Perhaps I don't understand women of any age.
You're a little drunk, Jean-Francois.
Do you think you could stagger as far as the Rue Bonaparte? What's there? My apartment.
Let my people go.
Prairie oyster, never fails.
Never fails to what? Clear your head.
Drink it down like a good boy.
Last night I was in a strange mood.
I drank too much.
Oh, Jean-Francois, we had fun in a boozy nightclub and then we fucked.
It's nothing more complicated than that.
What are your plans? I'm taking unpaid leave.
I've neglected my estate too long.
We must stay in touch.
I think we can be of use to our countries.
I don't know if my country feels I'm any use at all.
Well, that's because Lessard and half your general staff are with that bunch of fascists in the Action Francaise.
They want France in bed with Germany.
Anything that buffers them from the red menace.
We have plenty of idiots in England who feel the same way.
I'll make coffee.
INAUDIBLE GUNSHO DOOR OPENS We were supposed to look after the Rozens.
We did.
We gave them money, an apartment.
They expected to live in some degree of safety, not afraid to walk down the street.
So you'd have me sanction what, precisely? 24-hour protection with a team of bodyguards for a couple of tired old Bolsheviks? They gave us everything they knew.
And when they did, they knew the life they were getting into.
A bullet in broad daylight? Occupational hazard.
Should be grateful the Russians can't shoot straight.
How ironic, Viktor, that die-hard communists should end up living in bourgeois splendour.
Nah, there's nothing very splendid about the plumbing.
Fernand, this is Viktor and Malka Rozen.
- How long will they be staying, Monsieur? - Not sure.
Be on guard for strangers in the village, in the field.
Because of our visitors? I understand.
Thank you.
My brother won't take phone calls or answer my letters.
You have a fight? No.
He was like this when his wife died.
He went into this dark place and stayed there for a long time.
I'd like us to visit him.
Well, seeing me won't improve his mood.
I don't like the country.
I don't like dogs.
I play jazz piano and I smoke 40 Gauloises a day.
Please, do this for me.
Why haven't you been to see me? Is the night life of Warsaw so enticing? I haven't been in Warsaw, Mother.
Hmm.
You can't settle anywhere, can you? Which makes me think you're unhappy.
My work is important.
I've never quite understood what it is.
Is this my colour? Of course it is.
I thought you might need it.
I know how you feel the cold.
They'll steal it.
No, they won't.
How's your officer? He's not Polish, you said.
French.
Your Frenchman's a gentleman? He's not my gentleman anymore.
DOG BARKS I'm sorry - who are you? I'm Armand.
The piano player.
And yours needs tuning, by the way.
Oh, you're Gabrielle's friend.
A little more than that, Colonel.
What are you doing here? Why didn't I know you were coming? Because you'd have found some excuse not to see us.
How are you? You look terrible.
James Joyce said that Ireland is the only country that has never persecuted the Jews.
Do you know why? No, why? BOTH ROZENS: Because they never let them in! More and more Jewish people are coming to Paris.
Many of them come to my stall, trying to sell paintings, jewellery.
And when they've sold them, where do they plan to go? Hmm? Palestine? America? I don't have an art collection to sell.
I guess I could always play piano on an ocean liner if the war breaks out, jump ship in Havana.
You could play in a casino and I'll be the cigarette girl.
For God's sake, you two, be serious.
This life we have, this life we love, you take for granted.
It could all vanish.
Just like that.
So what do you suggest? We live every day afraid of tomorrow? MALKA: That's how we were living.
A little less now, thanks to your brother.
At least be aware of what tomorrow might be.
People act as though the worst will never happen.
That's just how you act yourself.
How can you say that? You don't do anything about anything.
Apart from drink your way through Father's cellar.
Do you think your father would mind if we, er, drank another one? Help yourself.
If you'll excuse me.
Good night.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Emile saw the pair of them.
Driving up to the woods above the south meadow.
The two you described to me.
You stay here.
Of course, sir.
Where's the Colonel going? We'll find out at dinner tonight.
TWIG SNAPS TWO GUNSHOTS We need shovels.
I blame myself.
The Soviets knew it was me you approached in Warsaw.
They were bound to make the connection sooner or later.
So these men who came? I've dealt with that situation.
Fernand is driving their car to Lyon.
He'll dump it somewhere.
And us? I spoke to Paris last night and again this morning.
You're going to Brittany, a pretty village, apparently, on the sea.
I'll drive you as far as Paris.
You're leaving too? Yes.
My sister's right.
I've been buried here for too long.
I brought you these.
Oh.
I was rather hoping for truffles.
Don't they come from your neck of the woods? - You don't look like you need them.
- What was it? - Gallstones.
- How on earth does one get gallstones? - 50 years of foie gras and charcuterie? - Rubbish.
So why are you here? I need to go to work, General.
I need to get back in the game.
Recently, we reached an agreement with the Poles in the event of their being invaded.
We're talking about a very dangerous mission.
It's essential to their sovereignty and long-term survival.
It's only known to a few at the highest possible level.
I had a man leaving in two days.
But you know the Poles better.
You can replace him.
Thank you.
I'd like to see whatever you've received from Elter in the last few months.
Rather dull reading recently, but I'll arrange it with Lessard.
And when you get back from Warsaw, I'll be out of this place and we can enjoy a really good lunch.
Will your doctors allow it? I won't invite them.
So, you think you can find things in here that we missed, is that it? Not at all.
I just want to get back in the picture.
It's been a while.
And yet you're off on a high-priority mission which is classified to us mere mortals.
I know Poland.
I have contacts and connections.
And Beauvilliers behind you.
That won't last long if war breaks out.
You still say "if".
I've set the meeting in here.
Your old apartment's empty so you can stay there.
No housekeeper, I'm afraid.
How long will you be with us? Two days, perhaps.
Oh, what a shame.
It's not the same without you.
Have you been in touch with Anna? She's in New York at the moment.
- New York! Goodness.
- The League has a pavilion at the World's Fair.
Ah, Mercier! Couldn't stay away, huh? Erm, do you want me to sit in on this meeting? Thank you, that won't be necessary.
Ah, I see.
So there's nothing that you need? Coffee would be nice.
Obviously the Germans will attack from the west, so our route has to be south-east, into Romania.
Our Foreign Ministry has already made overtures with Bucharest.
There'll be a freighter at Constanza on the Black Sea.
It will fly a neutral flag but have a French crew and an armed escort.
It will take the consignment to Marseilles.
Ultimate destination - Zurich.
I want you to be the person who sees it through.
I'll insist on it.
Of course, I hope it never comes to this.
We both know it will.
When I was last here, I got a tip that led to me setting up an informant in IN6 in Berlin.
Anything to share with me? You wouldn't want it.
I've been over all the recent material in the last two days.
I think it's tainted.
Is Doctor Lapp in Warsaw? He is.
Why? It was Lapp who gave me the tip.
The world has not improved since we saw each other last, I fear.
When I saw you in Berlin, I was grateful for your discretion.
If war does break out, you will understand that I must serve my country, - whoever its leaders.
- Of course.
I wanted to thank you for the Halbach connection.
As far as I know, he's safe.
Yes, I had heard that.
And did it lead you to his contact? Or am I asking too much? It did.
He's been very useful.
Except I think he's been exposed.
Turned.
- Feeding us what the Nazis want us to believe.
- Really? What makes you think so? The quality of his intelligence.
You have powerful connections in Berlin, Doctor.
Would it be possible to confirm my suspicions? - Are they shared by the Deuxieme Bureau?- No.
So far I've kept this to myself.
I suggest you do, until I have made some enquiries.
I will be discreet, but we are on dangerous ground, you and I.
FLOORBOARDS CREAK MORE CREAKING GUNSHO HE PANTS A few hours after I confided in Doctor Lapp, someone came to kill me.
So I can only assume he was trying to silence me.
If I convinced my superiors of my suspicions, then the Elter pipeline would be useless to the Nazis.
You think Lapp set you up in the first place - to discover Elter's identity? - Convinced of it.
Did you get Pakulski to arrest him? There's no evidence.
Nothing they can hold him on.
Besides, if you know who your enemy is, it's sometimes best to keep him in play.
What a tortured, twisted business this espionage is.
Do you want to add gout to gallstones? I dreamed of this when I was in hospital.
How seriously do you regard Lady Angela? She may seem frivolous but she has very good connections - with people who have Churchill's ear.
- Can you put things in motion? Oh, sooner than you think.
- I'm sure he is.
- But clearly, - discretion is called for at this point.
- Yes.
Colonel Mercier, I'd like to introduce Duff Cooper.
You have sympathetic ears here, Colonel.
This is my analysis of the Belgian scenario.
Though I should add that some of my superiors don't give it much credence.
We'll meet again, Colonel, possibly later tonight.
I leave that to you, Angela.
Duff is Churchill's Private Secretary, so your report won't gather dust in an in-tray.
If they respond well, you might want to follow this up with a trip across the Channel.
Not too onerous a mission? A midnight sleeper to London with Her Ladyship.
I think it might be safer if we flew.
By the way, who was that man who didn't say anything? He's in our game.
I think his name's Philby.
INAUDIBLE LAUGHTER What is it? Max Mostov! God in heaven! The dashing Colonel.
Handsome as ever, I see.
I assumed you were dead.
Or in a gulag.
I was fortunate.
They gave me a rap on the knuckles, then threw me in jail for a few months.
And then they send you to Paris to recuperate? You're a liar.
You're one of theirs.
You always were.
You had us all fooled, I give you that.
You know, when you are always with people who don't know who you really are, who do not know that secret part of you, it makes you feel, in a way, above them.
Do you think that's the appeal? Nothing about that appeals to me.
Water under the bridge.
This is a crazy business of ours, hey? Look at us.
Now we are comrades in arms, Soviets and French united against the dreaded Hitler.
HE CHUCKLES We should drink to this.
I don't want to drink with you, Max.
Suit yourself.
I hear it did not go so well with you and the lovely Anna.
She wasted a lot of pointless tears on you.
DOOR OPENS And I tell you something.
I would have her back.
Just like that! I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands.
Then I calmed down and realised, I have to tell Anna.
- It's going to make all the difference.
- And have you? Not yet.
She's on her way back from New York.
Is this the love of your life? The second love of my life.
Armand's my third.
The first two don't really count.
Thank you.
Your love will be put to the test if there's a war.
Because Armand's a Jew? Maybe he should take that boat to Havana.
He won't leave Paris.
And he won't leave me.
Forgive the intrusion.
May I join you for a moment? Of course, please.
Do you want to talk in private? No, my dear.
The whole world will know when it wakes up in the morning.
The Deuxieme Bureau has picked up an intercept to the German Embassy.
Hitler has signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin.
What? Two men who vilified each other for years.
They'd make Machiavelli proud.
Only days ago, the Russians were at that conference with their bland smiles and bad suits.
They signed an agreement with us! - And what does this mean? - It's a vile and cynical tactic so that Russia and Germany can carve up Poland between them.
War is inevitable, a matter of days.
You must leave as soon as possible.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS Oh, my dear girl, what a terrible time for Poland, terrible.
What are you doing here? Colonel Mercier asked me to meet you.
He should be in Warsaw in a day or so and he's desperate to see you.
I don't wish to see him.
I think you might, my dear, when you hear what he's asked me to tell you.
It's about Max.
Malka, we will always be afraid.
Either as defectors or Jews.
We live among strangers.
Who knows who will be the first to point the finger? This way we will be together, always.
Good to see you, Colonel.
You too, Marek.
What's the mood here? Everyone under 40 has to collect call-up papers.
- Plus all reservists and ex-soldiers.
- Not you? The Colonel wants me on this assignment you're on.
He won't tell me what it is.
What do you want from me? First, your silence about everything you see and hear from now on.
I need all the seats ripped out of those coaches and the floorboards taken up to make room for some crates.
Everything needs to be back in place by tomorrow morning.
Is it ammunition? I mean, I need to know if this thing could blow up at any minute.
I can't tell you what it is.
And I'm supposed to drive it? That's what you do, isn't it? For 40 years, yes.
Was this the original plan? Everything's changed since those bastards took us by surprise.
We're improvising.
So when will we leave? Not before morning.
I'll check in with the Embassy.
Oh! Last night.
Bold as brass in the Cafe Cleo.
Dr Lapp, with his coffee and his cognac, expressing his regret that these things have come to pass between our two great nations.
He's still here? Yes.
What have you heard? German tanks are heading for Poland.
52 divisions, that's a million and a half men.
And Stalin has 40 divisions on our eastern border.
They'll bomb the airfields first.
Then telephone exchanges.
When will you get out? We're waiting for Paris to tell us.
You were right all along.
I'll take this to the Ambassador.
- Anna? - I saw her.
I told her about Max.
And? Shock.
Tears.
Regret.
I have to see her.
Where is she? She went to the country to be with her mother.
I have an address.
Why have I been brought to this dreadful place? You're accused of espionage, Dr Lapp.
Accused by whom? Colonel Mercier.
That's outrageous.
He has no evidence.
We don't need evidence.
We are not arresting you.
We are detaining you under the Emergency Powers Act.
There's no such thing! It's what we enact when we're about to be invaded by a hostile foreign power.
I demand to speak to someone from my Embassy.
Your demand is duly noted.
Now, give me your belt and shoes.
How many more of those are there? Another two truckloads.
What's the total weight? About 40,000 kilograms.
That's more than the average train packed with passengers.
We don't need to be fast, we just need to look like an ordinary train.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS KNOCKING ON DOOR Did you sleep? Hardly.
It's started.
German commando units have crossed the border, backed up by six armoured and eight motorized divisions.
God preserve us, we're at war.
We could have some of your decent Scotch if there's any left.
I'll bring it with me.
Let's go.
Car's outside.
Anna's mother's estate is just 30 minutes from a station on our route.
A place called Borek.
I'm going to get her and meet you there.
You are not.
You have orders.
I'm asking for a few hours, Antoni.
Request denied.
You know what we have to do here.
My official mission begins at the Romanian border.
No, your official mission begins here, now, with me.
And if you jeopardise it, I'll see you are court-martialled.
I will make it back to the train.
If something goes wrong, you'll be stranded in the middle of Poland with Russians coming one way and Germans the other.
So you die in your lover's arms, that will console you? I have to do this.
Jean-Francois, you are my friend.
We've been friends for 20 years.
But if you're not at that station, I won't wait even a minute.
I understand.
TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS Where did these children come from? From the city, Mother.
It's safer for them here.
I used to love the sound of the servants' children when the house was ours.
Sometimes they forget about our lunch.
Most of the nurses have left.
We're at war, Mother.
It's started.
My two brothers died in the last one.
Patryk was only 18.
But they said there would never be another one.
The soup was cold yesterday.
What are you doing here? I've come for you, Anna.
You wasted a year on guilt and tears.
A year of our lives we should have spent with each other.
What a stupid woman I was.
I believed it all.
I thought Max was a soul that needed saving.
It was all a deception.
I've missed you.
You'd better introduce me to your mother.
Mother, this is Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier.
An honour, Ma'am.
A gentleman indeed.
How kind of you to come and visit us.
No-one else ever does.
I want you both to come with me.
- Where to? - Out of Poland.
We have to pick up a train 20 kilometres from here.
So be as quick as you can, take as little as you need.
Are you from Paris? I loved it when we lived in Paris.
We were near that famous bakery.
Mother, you heard the Colonel.
We have to leave.
I don't have the clothes for Paris.
It will be all new fashions.
You must go, Anna.
No! I won't leave you here.
But you should.
You're in love.
You have a life ahead of you.
Mine's behind me.
I can see smoke.
Look! Do we slow down? Not if he's not there.
He's not stopping! The car.
It's the car, Colonel.
Colonel? Hit the brakes! You cut it fine.
Thank God I had a French car.
Good to see you, Anna.
OK, let's go.
We're heading for the border.
You, Pakulski, armed guards.
What's going on? We have a hidden cargo.
Under our feet? What is it? We're evacuating the entire Polish national bullion reserve.
Before the Nazis can get their hands on it.
Gold? 40 cases.
10 ingots in every case.
- To Romania? - And beyond.
Vladimir Herschensohn.
Principal violinist of the Polish National Symphony Orchestra.
Roman Kosinksi.
Oh, a student? I was.
Now I've no idea what I am.
And I may never see my family again.
You must believe that you will.
That they will survive and so will you.
You survived polio.
Is it true we are headed for Romania? So they say.
Ah, I have cousins there.
They have a fine orchestra.
If they won't have me, it will mean a cap on the pavement.
Will you go back to fight this war, Colonel? We both will.
THEY SPEAK GERMAN Stop! Stop! Good of you to let us know.
We're Polish.
What's happening? There's a girl.
What's happened? I'm not sure, stay here.
You two with me.
Here, take this.
I don't know how to use this.
I'll show you.
I didn't always play the violin.
Get in.
Is something wrong? Please, Excellency.
Take me with you.
Stay here, don't leave the bullion.
I'm going to see what's happening.
You don't have to pay me.
Where do you live? Where is your family? Gone.
HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE I don't speak your language.
Who are you? I work for the railroad.
You don't look like railroad worker.
Anything valuable on this train? Just people, heading for the border.
Running, huh? Why not? The Poles are finished.
What do you want from us? Money.
Jewellery.
Women.
Don't worry, we won't take ugly ones.
Give me that watch.
You don't get this working for railroad.
What do you see down there? HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE GUNSHO TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS Are you all right? Fine.
There's two more back in the carriage, they're not going anywhere.
I'm sorry.
They make me.
Why don't we settle in a cabin in the wild - a well, a few goats and hundreds of miles from the war? I'd need dogs.
And some books.
And a good cellar.
And I'd learn to sew.
Where are we anyway? We'll reach the border tomorrow.
And then? I'll never let you out of my sight.
Could be in France in four or five weeks, we'll get married.
If you want to make a respectable woman of me, I'm afraid you're too late.
I can still try.
Looks like we're expected.
If it goes well with the Romanians, the rest is up to you.
The future is uncertain, to say the least.
Whatever it may be, you two face it together.
What now? We do our best to stay alive.
by Red Bee Media Ltd