During WW1, a train is stopped by a bombing ;a young soldier ,Paul,takes advantage of the opportunity to go to his native village to see his parents .His sergeant has given him one hour.He meets his mother in the church and learns that his fiancee does not live with her anymore.She's working in a tavern for soldiers where the owner,Auguste ,woos her.The former love does not want to see Paul anymore because he never wrote to her since he left for war.In fact,it's Paul mother who has concealed the messages:she has turned her out of the house because she does not want a girl in state custody to be her daughter-in-law .Auguste is jealous and wants the Gendarmes to arrest Paul as a deserter.After another bombing ,Auguste is buried beneath the ruins of his cafe.Paul gets on the moving train in the nick of time.Marie will wait for him.