Occupied Holland, 1944 and a young woman, who finds herself already on the wrong side of her countries' politics, makes a series of bad choices which gradually take her further into the depths of depravity as she struggles to escape her involvement with the Nazis and return home.

SYNOPSIS:

1944 - Liesbet lives in occupied Holland and is labelled a national traitor as she sympathizes with the German cause and enjoys the benefits it brings. As the Allied forces begin to gather momentum, Liesbet, her sister, Corrie and their father, an antique dealer and prominent National Socialist member, are forced to flee, alongside Hugo, an injured German air force officer, whom Liesbet loves and nurses back to health. Liesbet carries in her suitcase two small valuable Rembrandt originals, previously stolen by her father from a Jewish business acquaintance. But before they cross the border into Germany, Hugo is shot as a deserter.

The family travel to Celle and are recruited to work for the SS. Liesbet is coerced into marrying Doctor Fischer, becomes a nurse, and then a camp guard at Ravensbruck, where she witnesses terrible atrocities and is, herself, forced to beat women prisoners, including a young Polish girl, Anna and Liesbet’s only friend Klara. Now separated from her sister, Corrie seeks to find Liesbet and makes a deal for the Rembrandts, which in the mean- time have been placed in so called safe keeping by Fischer. But Liesbet retrieves them and escapes the camp with Klara and Anna. They travel to Poland. Corrie arrives at Ravensabruck too late to see her sister.

1945 - The icy winter envelops everyone, everything. Liesbet is unexpectedly re-united with Hugo as the three women seek refuge in Stutthof. They are camp guards yet again. Whilst Germany is on the back foot and under severe pressure to retreat, Liesbet, her mind and body frozen, commits terrible acts of darkness. Liberation of Stutthof is imminent and Hugo encourages Liesbet to board a liner evacuating refugees and German personnel from the east to west. Liesbet tells Hugo about the Rembrandts but in a distracted moment leaves them unattended in Hugo’s room. He himself has to accompany a mass evacuation of prisoners to the coast the next morning. Liesbet backs out at the last moment from boarding the liner and later hears that the liner was torpedoed and sunk with a massive loss of life. Hugo returns. Liesbet discovers the Rembrandts have been swapped for blanks. This was her “ticket home”, her escape. She tells Corrie who has found her again that Fischer must have tricked her and so she will not go with Corrie to Berlin where her father is waiting for them. She will go seek out Fischer but unbeknown to her Fischer has fled with his holdall and joins the refugees.

With Hugo’s reluctant assistance, he provides a vehicle and escort for Liesbet who drives to Ravensbruck in an attempt to retrieve the Rembrandts, but the vehicle is ambushed by Russians and Liesbet is brutally raped and left for dead.

The final evacuation of all personnel from Stutthof is ordered. The Russians are so close but Hugo waits for Liesbet’s return.

And she does return, crawling into the camp, a broken woman.

Hugo provides Liesbet, Klara and Anna with identity papers, encourages them to join the refugees and each find their way home, as he would attempt to do himself. On route, amidst destruction, desolation, fire, snow and smoke, American soldiers attack the fleeing Fischer, whom Liesbet thinks she might have recognised, and seize his holdall. Now without Anna, Klara and Liesbet trudge on.

Nine months later in the final moments of the script, Liesbet gives birth to a baby girl in Holland.

INTO THE FIRE