The story takes place in Germany in 1946, just after the Second World War. The war has devastated the land and separated families. Handsome Colonel Lewis (Jason Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Keira Knightley) lost their eldest son in the war. Rachel hated the Germans very much, but what she didn't expect was that after the war, she and her remaining family would live under the same roof with a man named Stephen (Alexander Skarsgård). Stephen also lost his wife in the war, which made him have no good face for Rachel, and the two fought against each other every day. The pain of losing his son made Lewis choose to spend most of his time and experience at work. Rachel, who was neglected, only had Stephen to get along with every day. Gradually, the relationship between the two began to change.