France, 1944. Julien, 11, returns to find three new boys enrolled at his boarding school. A mysterious boy named Bonnet especially interests him. When Julien discovers Bonnet’s secret, a tender friendship grows between the two. However, the war threatens to devastate their sheltered world.

Every playground has cowards and comrades, but history makes those eternal characters crushingly profound in this simple yet heartfelt story. Taking inspiration from his own memories of the Second World War, Louis Malle forges an award-winning evocation of childhood and its ironclad bonds.