Albert nearly lost his life due to the power-hungry Lieutenant Pradelle. However, at the last moment, Édouard saves him from death. Grateful to his savior, Albert fulfills his greatest wish: a false identity. Pradelle sees through the deception and exposes them to cover up his treacherous maneuver. Thus, the rival men become accomplices. While Pradelle makes a fortune in the post-war years by exhuming the dead, Albert and Édouard develop an illegal business dealing in war memorabilia. Pierre Lemaitre paints a vivid panorama of a society where discussions of glory and honor abound, yet greed and shady dealings prevail.