In London, 1942, a seemingly chance encounter with a stranger on a train leads a young Scottish woman (Blanchett) to consider enlisting in a special operation with the French Resistance. When her lover, a Royal Air Force pilot (Penry-Jones), is shot down in the line of duty, Charlotte joins the secret mission as a means to serve her country and find the man she loves.
Assuming a new identity, "Dominique" parachutes behind enemy lines in Southern France, where she rendezvous with Julien Levade (Crudup), the leader of the local resistance group. Posing as the new housekeeper for Julien's father (Gambon), "Dominique" serves as a liaison between the British government and the resistance fighters, helping to thwart Nazi efforts to move munitions and abduct local Jews, while secretly attempting to learn the fate of her missing lover.
Based on the best–selling novel by Sebastian Faulks.