Over the fifteen years Bailey has been living in the region, the more she realised she didn't know, and people did not want her to know, about the war; about the French during the Occupation, the real role of the Resistance, the level of collaboration, the concentration camps in the Pyrenees and the treatment of Jews and other refugees. It is still very much a veiled history. Although people now acknowledge that the role of the Resistance in winning the war was exaggerated and glorified way beyond its actual numbers or achievements, few are willing to admit the level of acceptance of the German occupation, of the fascist ideals of the Vichy government and the degree of collaboration, passive or active, that occurred throughout the war years. Most of the archives remain firmly closed. This is a portrait of human tragedy, heroism and cruelty that will create a picture of the period from a contemporary angle, the history linked to sights that can still be visited, and brought to life by letters, interviews and encounters with people today, including the historians currently trying to investigate what really happened.
