Antoine Moreau (a beautiful rôle by the English actor Tom Courtenay), a great French pantomime player, is forced in 1944 by the Germans to perform in the ‘free state’ Terezín, the Czech Theresienstad that Hitler ‘gave’ to the Jews. He has to perform one more time for the children living there, is paid for his work and is then free to return to Paris. At least, that is what the Germans promise. However they fail to mention that it is a propaganda stunt to hide the real state of affairs in Theresienstad and to mislead the International Red Cross. To avoid problems, Antoine gets everything he needs for his Hansel and Gretel: sets, expensive costumes, the best musicians. However one thing the Germans do not control is the close relationship Antoine develops with the children taking part. When he finds out the truth about the so-called paradise he decides to use the language of pantomime to tell the world.
