Faced with the rise of Nazism and the imminence of a war in Europe, Tomasz Pawlowski is harassed by his Canadian friend, Father Villeneuve, who tries to convince him to immigrate to Canada with his family. The eldest of the Pawlowski, Jerzy, left at 17 to join the Polish forces for the honor of his country. Forced to flee Krakow when their parents are killed, Jan and Elizabeth Pawlowski walk across Poland to a refugee camp, before obtaining the necessary papers for entry into Canada.