Lucien Bernard, a Parisian architect, brutally confronts the realities of the Nazi occupation of France in 1942 as he proceeds to a job interview: He turns the corner of rue la Boétie and almost collides with a man running the opposite way; mere seconds later, German soldiers shoot the man dead. The Germans interrogate Lucien but leave him unscathed. Lucien retreats to the bathroom of a nearby café to wipe blood off his coat. He muses on his lack of empathy for the Jewish man who has just been gunned down. He’s preoccupied with the thought that at least “he wasn’t dead” (4). Lucien blames his coldness on his father, who found love in his heart only for geological samples.

Lucien hurries to his interview with car manufacturer Auguste Manet, who Lucien believes has recently taken on war contracts with the German occupiers. If so, Manet will need an architect to design new factory spaces for his enterprise. Lucien hopes he will get the job and finally prove himself with his long-awaited breakout design.