Proffi Liebowitz is a militant yet sensitive boy who wants nothing more than for the occupying British to leave his land. He and his two friends spend most of their time plotting ways to terrorize and/or blow up the British until one evening, while he's out after curfew, Proffi is seized by Sergeant Dunlop. Instead of arresting him, the British officer deposits Proffi back home, and soon the foes become friends. Proffi, who is estranged from his own father, begins to see Dunlop as a parental figure. Dunlop, lonely and poetic, loves the spirited boy and they find lots to talk about in their meetings, which Proffi must keep a secret. When Proffi's friends follow him one day and see that he has been visiting the detested enemy, they report him to the town officials and Proffi is brought to "trial" for being a traitor. He is eventually found innocent but these experiences shape him for life -- especially the shock that he could have such genuine affection for the enemy.