An upper-class corporal is captured by the Germans during their 1940 invasion of France. Assisted and accompanied by characters as diverse as a morose dairy farmer, a waiter, a myopic intellectual, a working-class Parisian, and a German dental assistant, the corporal tries to escape from prison camps, sometimes making it a few yards, sometimes reaching the border.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Jean-Pierre CasselCaporal | Caporal |
 Claude BrasseurPapa | Papa |
 Claude RichBallochet | Ballochet |
 Jacques JouanneauÉmile, aka 'Penche-à-gauche', waiter | Émile, aka 'Penche-à-gauche', waiter |
 Mario David'Caruso', amateur athlete, insurance agent | 'Caruso', amateur athlete, insurance agent |
 Jean CarmetGuillaume aka 'Le Fermier' | Guillaume aka 'Le Fermier' |
 Philippe Castelli'L'électricien' | 'L'électricien' |
 Guy BedosThe stuttering prisoner | The stuttering prisoner |
 O.E. HasseDrunk traveler on the train | Drunk traveler on the train |
 Cornelia FroboessErika Schmidt | Erika Schmidt |
 Sacha BriquetEscapee disguised as an old woman | Escapee disguised as an old woman |
 Raymond JourdanHippolyte Dupieu | Hippolyte Dupieu |
 Gérard DarrieuCross-eyed man | Cross-eyed man |
 Lucien RaimbourgStation employee | Station employee |
 François DarbonPeasant | Peasant |
| HHelmut JanatschOtto, Commander of the Stalag | Otto, Commander of the Stalag |