Richard Madden, Rebecca Hall and Alan Rickman star in this drama directed by Patrice Leconte. When Friederich Zeitz (Madden) lands a job with German nobleman Karl Hoffmeister (Rickman) he throws himself into the position while also agreeing to tutor Karl's son. As Friederich gets closer to young Otto Hoffmeister (Toby Murray) he also forms a bond with his employer's wife Lotte (Hall). When Karl suspects that his wife is growing too fond of his employee, he sends Friederich to Mexico for a two-year position supervising a mining project. Upon his departure, Friederich and Lotte agree to stay faithful to each other, however, when war breaks out Friederich's homecoming is severely delayed. Will Lotte stay true to her word or will time and distance get in their way?