Based on the true story of a group of students from Leiden, the Netherlands, their experience, different paths and roles in World War II, either as a collaborators or in the resistance. Part of the story is set in London, where Queen Wilhelmina has residence. The main character of the story is Erik Lanshof who fights alongside Colonel Rafelli (Edward Fox) and soldier Susan (Susan Penhaligon) of the allied forces in London. The film begins with a flashforward in the form of a newsreel with a voice-over. Queen Wilhelmina is accompanied by Erik (Hauer) arriving in the Netherlands from London shortly after World War II. After the newsreel, the film starts in the late 1930s in Leiden, where freshmen undergo the humiliation of the initiation rites of their fraternity. Erik is appointed assistant to the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, and accompanies her back to the Netherlands after the war, as shown in the newsreel in the beginning of the film.