The Great Swindle

1918. The war on the Western Front is all but over. Wanting to impress his superiors, an ambitious officer, Lieutenant Henri D'Aulnay Pradelle, sends two soldiers over the top and shoots them in the back to incite their comrades to attack the German lines. When Albert Maillard reaches the bodies and realises how they must have died, the Lieutenant pushes him into a shellhole in the hope of silencing him for good. But Albert is rescued by a fellow soldier, Edouard Pericourt, who takes a piece of shrapnel in the face for his troubles. In the field hospital, Edouard refuses cosmetic surgery and will not face his family in his current state. Albert finds him a new identity and informs Edouard's wealthy father of his son's 'death'. Back in civilian life, Albert becomes Edouard's carer. A young girl, Louise, is Edouard's salvation. In her company his talent for art is rekindled, as is his sense of mischief. He devises a confidence trick that can make them a fortune - taking money for never-to-be-built war memorials from gullible towns. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Pradelle has married Edouard's sister Madeleine and is running a scam of his own ...