Berlin, May 1945. A frightened young German woman, Erika Binder, is called into the office of American Captain Jimmy Murphy and questioned about the whereabouts of her husband, Johann, a former SS officer who is classified as a war criminal. Johann, impoverished and unrepentant, manages to reach their home, but refuses to admit that Germany has capitulated. Erica hides him. One day, Johan catches her flirting with Murphy. He tries to leave, but fails and returns home, where he gets drunk and reminisces about the old glory days of the Third Reich. At a nightclub, Erica confides in Murphy that her husband is alive, and he attempts to capture him, but Johan kills him. He then descends into a state of complete despair and like a trapped animal fights against the Russian Captain Ivanov and his men, who have attacked the house to capture him and bring him to justice.
