John Malkovich stars in Volker Schlondorff's acclaimed drama, a powerful presentation of life in Germany during World War II. Abel Tiffauges (Malkovich), a French mechanic and recluse who feels children are his only friends, is falsely accused of molestation by a young girl and thrown into prison. He is allowed to join the army on the eve of the Second World War, and quickly becomes a POW who is first given a job on Hermann Goering's estate and then is sent to a castle to work for a German officer (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Once again, he gets to be with children - only this time, it is as a recruiter of German boys for an elite training camp. Filled with haunting imagery, this provocative film vividly demonstrates the allure of evil.