A Frenchman imprisoned during World War II is transferred by German soldiers to a boxcar. The man finds that the other men in the car with him are also from France. They are friendly, and their unofficial leader, a man named Bergeron, explains the day-to-day functioning of their car to the newcomer. The car is too small for everyone to lie down at once, so the men take turns. One of the prisoners is a priest who leads prayers for the men. Every evening, four prisoners are taken out of the boxcar, roped to guards, and given a spade. They then dig holes and dump out the buckets of their own bodily waste from the day. The newcomer is excited by the prospect of wielding a spade, which he thinks would provide a good opportunity for escape, but the other men in the car warn him not to try anything: they believe they are being repatriated and are on their way home to France. The newcomer adjusts to life on the car; the men do daily exercises to keep their bodies able and are fed disgusting food by their German guards. They remain hopeful they are returning to France. The train that the prisoners are on comes to a stop and does not move for days. One day while they are stopped, a prisoner finds a knot in one of the planks of wood in the car's wall. He works the knot loose and when the men look out the hole, they see the countryside of France. They are exhilarated, and also notice a man working near the tracks. Bergeron signals to the man by sticking his thumb through the knot hole, and when the guards are distracted, the man runs to the car and slips a piece of paper through the hole, upon which he has written a message of hope. The next morning, streams of people walk past the car, and each discreetly raises their left hand to their heart as they pass. The prisoners are very touched. However, the next day, the men learn that they will be sent back to prison in Germany. Bergeron approaches the newcomer and asks him about his plan of escape through use of the spades.