Edouard Bréville

Life in Gestapo jails in occupied Belgium.

Mr Van Peborgh, an "artiste photographe", remained alone with his three sons Henri, Frans and Louis after the death of his wife.The household is done by the maid Beth while the graceful girl Marie helps him in the store.The eldest son Henri is engaged to Hortense and thinks he's getting married soon.Louis wants to leave for America. The big engagement party on which the whole family is present starts without worry but ends up in a disaster because "It's cruel in the world".

Alphonse and his wife Zulma hold the 421, a tavern in the outskirts of Lille, in the North of France. It is always full of regulars who play cards there and drink gin and exchange words in ch'timi, the local patois. But there has been trouble lately: felonies have been committed in the surroundings. So who can be those two strangers who have just rented a room each at the 421? Each sets about doing a bit of detective work.