The setting is Europe in 1938, where signs of the outbreak of World War II begin to cast a shadow over the land. Fearing the fires of war, waves of people seek refuge from all over Europe to Paris, the only remaining city of light. But no one can guess how much longer that light will last. Ravic, a surgeon, is a refugee from Germany making a living in Paris as an unlicensed doctor. On a cold rainy night, Ravic meets a woman who is standing off in a daze, apparently about to jump off Alma Bridge into the River Seine. He rescues her just in time, and inquires about her background although he isn't very interested.