In 1941 Greece, on the eve of German occupation, cynical American foreign correspondent Michael Morrison arrives in Athens, intending to depart for London the following day. In his hotel room, Mike is visited by anti-fascist politico Dr. Stergiou, who asks him to carry a list of Greek resistance leaders to British intelligence in London. When Stergiou admits that he cannot pay him, Mike refuses, then warns Stergiou against carrying the list. The doctor pretends to destroy the paper, but unknown to Mike, places it in Mike's jacket pocket. Mike reluctantly agrees to meet Stergiou later that evening and the doctor advises him of a contact in the event of difficulties. Unknown to the men, Greek collaborator and Gestapo spy Dimitrius Tassos eavesdrops on their conversation, then reports to the German head of the Gestapo in Greece, Konrad Heisler. That evening, Mike waits for Stergiou in a club, but Stergiou telephones to cancel their meeting, revealing that he has been followed. Mike is angered when Stergiou tells him that the list is in his pocket and urges him to meet their mutual contact. At the designated place, however, Mike finds the contact murdered and is confronted by Tassos, who tells Mike that Stergiou has committed suicide. Tassos then offers Mike money in exchange for the list, but Mike attacks Tassos and flees. Tassos and his henchmen pursue him, but Mike escapes on a passing British army transport. When Heisler reports Mike's escape to Cmdr. Eric Oberg, the commander recommends Heisler take charge of the situation. Meanwhile, after the transport is bombed, a wounded Mike is rescued by Greek fishermen who believe that he is a British soldier. Upon reviving in a local cottage where a young peasant girl, Eleftheria, lives with her brother Andreas and their uncle Leonidas, Mike discovers the list is still intact. After recovering, Mike sits in on a meeting with Andreas and several men who plan to raid the munitions depot for guns and distribute them to all the neighboring villages. After the meeting, Eleftheria pleads with Mike not to get involved in the raid, but their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Bluey Ferguson, who claims to be a British private and POW escapee. The following evening, Mike joins Andreas and the others on their raid, but they are ambushed by the Germans and only Mike and Andreas survive. While Andreas goes to the other villages to report the massacre, Mike returns to tell Leonidas about the list, which he admits to having memorized and destroyed. Mike suspects that Bluey was a German informant who tipped them off to the raid. Leonidas and Eleftheria agree that the only way to help Mike is to move him to a local convent, whose nuns and priests have assisted several British soldiers to escape the country. Eleftheria takes Mike to an abandoned thatch-hut village in the hills, where he is to await Andreas, who will escort him to the convent. That evening, Andreas arrives at the village just ahead of a German