May 1945 the end of the Second World War in the Tyrolean Alps SS man Anton has deserted and been shot On the run from his unit, he swaps his SS uniform for that of a dead Wehrmacht soldier and discovers a lonely mountain hut Hannah, a Jewish woman, is hiding here She takes Anton in and tends to his wounds
But there is great mistrust between the two Together they cope with the harsh everyday life in the remote hut They are looked after by 16yearold peasant girl Charlotte, whose family pays Hannah not to betray them And at night, they hear fighting between the German troops and Italian partisans Over time, a cautious familiarity develops between Anton and Hannah he, who has done terrible things in the war, she, who has lost her family and has been struggling with fear and loneliness up here in the mountains for months They grow closer Hannah finds out that Anton was no ordinary soldier He was in the SS, a man of conviction, at least at first Brutal truths come to light The war is as good as over, but what kind of future awaits them,
Georg turns up at the hut He#39s been looking for Anton, hunting him down He was the one who shot Anton his best friend Georg is fighting a battle that has long been hopeless, driven by hatred and the will to destroy And he also wants to kill Hannah High in the mountains, the decision is made
The Deserter is a story about war and guilt, but also about helpfulness and humanity
