Flanders 1939: While Europe holds her breath due the imminent danger war, Staf Seyneave is on a business trip to Germany. On this occasion he buys a little doll for his son Louis: a Hitler youth doing the Hitler salute. His wife does not think much of this gift, since rumors have that the family sympathizes with the Germans.
the new school year has just begun, as the war breaks out and Constance picks pu her son at boarding school. Louis says goodbye to his friend Vlieghe.

Staf learns that he is on a list with people considered enemies to the state. Soon he is forced to leave the country as all the Belgians sympathizing with the Germans. He leaves Louis behind to take care of Canstance and escape to France. When the Germans invade the country, Louis first becomes an enthousiastic members of the nationalsocialist youth movement, but is soon bored. having returned from France, Staf has to shut down his printing firm. since he not a member of a pro-German party, he no longer receices paper rations. His father, former catholic headmaster, has promised the arch bishop that neither he himself nor his son will ever become a memeber of an anti-Belgian party.
A bomb destroys Louis school house. In the middle of the night, Staf and Louis march to madame Laura in Brussels. In her house, guarded by collaborators, they discover a room crammed with books on so-called "degenerated art" that make a deep impression on Louis.

Allied landing in Normandy. Belgium is liberated the hunt for collaborators is on. Again Staf has to leave the country. Later his family learns that he was not careful enough. He was caught and arrested. The grandfather dies. Louis finds Constance listening to German radio where they read long list of fallen German soldiers. Without any explanation Staf is released. in the name of all Flemish he asks the American for forgiveness for everything that happened.