A small Belgian town faces sudden invasion and occupation during the opening hours of a war, forcing civic leaders and ordinary residents into urgent decisions. The municipal burgomaster, confronted with the fact that his daughter is married to an officer of the occupying army, must weigh duty and law against family ties while townspeople argue over disarming, concealment, and cooperation. The action, compressed into a single day, examines fear, moral ambiguity, and the heavy personal and communal costs that arise when private loyalties collide with public obligations.