Un condamné à mort s'est échappé

In 1941, Bresson was captured as a prisoner of war by the German occupying forces and only released more than a year later. The same happened to the French soldier and resistance fighter André Devigny, who was imprisoned and sentenced to death, but eventually managed to escape. These events inspired Devigny to write a memoir: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé, a man condemned to death has escaped. For his eponymous, critically acclaimed film, often considered his best, Bresson merged this memoir with his own memories.

Lyon, 1943. On his way to the notorious Montluc prison, the resistance fighter Lieutenant Fontaine attempts to escape the Germans, but fails. He is handcuffed and thrown in jail, where he starts working on an escape plan almost right away. He has to, as the Germans have sentenced him to death. Carefully, meticulously and extremely patiently, he works on his plan. But everything threatens to fall apart when another prisoner is placed in the cell with him. Can he be trusted?