Pierre Brossard is a man on the run, condemned to death in his absence for his war crimes during the Vichy reign in Occupied France. He has been sheltered by the Catholic Church but finally, after forty years, his past is catching up with him. This is a study of old men and how humans manage to survive - survive being on the run and also survive guilt of crimes committed. Brossard is a man not to be hated but pitied, the way he wriggles and contorts in order to stay on the run and also justify his existence; to himself and to his God. It is also a study of power and how people in power can manipulate events.
It is a calmly told story that underlies and emphasises the horror of what happened and what is unfolding in the story.
"Again he saw the stranger coming towards him lifting the briefcase, taking out the revolver. If I had let my guard down after all these years, if I had lost that sense of being followed? But God be thanked, He protected me in the past. I must give thanks tonight at Devotions. But no, I can't stay for Devotions. Some vineyard worker passing above that ravine will see the car. And the police will come here, for this road leads only to the abbey. Get up. Pack."
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