- The story of one of the last living survivors of the sinking of the Troopship Leopoldville on Christmas Eve, 1944. A daughter discovers how her father's life was saved by a twist of fate and of the secrets he kept hidden for decades.
- On Christmas Eve, 1944, John Waller was a 19-year-old soldier, fresh out of boot camp, on his way across the English Channel to join in the Battle of the Bulge. Late in the day, with in sight of the safe harbor of Cherbourg France, his troop ship was sunk by a German U-boat. Over 800 US military personnel died that night in the icy waters of the English Channel. Waller found himself floating in the freezing waters of the English Channel, in the dark, surrounded by the dead and the dying. His life was saved by a courageous French fisherman, and small twist of fate.
It was an enormous tragedy, but one that very few would know about. Fearing the effect of the news on morale of the loss of so many young infantry men at sea, the military instructed survivors not to talk about it, not even to their families. So, Waller kept the secret for decades.
He kept another secret as well. This one a bit more complicated, involving Nazis, grenades, a safe and a small portrait of a lady.
Then, not long ago, his daughter Garland Waller was helping him move and she came across an old album, with pictures her father had taken during the war. Garland is an award winning documentary maker and Professor in the Television Department at Boston University. So she started asking questions. It was only then that learned the story of the Leopoldville. And she learned about another family secret.
After recovering from his near death experience, Waller and his unit had been sent to a position near L'Orient France, to box in German troops stationed at the sub base there. One day, when things on the front were quiet, John Waller and some of his army buddies gone to explore a large nearby chateau that had been abandoned and ransacked.
In it all they found was a safe. And, they just happened to be dripping with hand grenades. Waller and his buddies blew up the safe and distributed what was inside. The one thing John Waller kept - was a small portrait of a woman. In the midst of all the horrors of war, the one thing he held on to was a small piece of art. Of beauty.
But over the decades the portrait had come to haunt his conscience. Waller had grown up to be a good man. An honest man. An architect, whose word was his bond. And 70 years on, he still felt guilty about having taken this portrait - that didn't belong to him. He told his daughter about his devout wish to somehow find the rightful owners and return the portrait to them.
This would set producer Garland Waller and her father on a journey of discovery, to retrace the journey of a young solider, to find the Chateau, identify the owners, and return the portrait. And with an impressive bit of detective work, a little luck, and a lot of perseverance, they are successful in righting an old wrong and healing an old wound, Their journey together ultimately becomes a story of redemption and second chances.
Shot primarily in England and France, with a little help from the BBC along the way, the film is by turns deeply moving and warmly funny. As a loving father and devoted daughter learn deeper truths about each other, make new friends and find a measure peace along the way.
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