It's Paris in 1938. During the Czech crisis. at a small hotel where exiles and working-class people stay, paths cross: Erich von Stroheim in a half-mask; Mirelle Balin, waiting for her fiancee, journalist John Loder to get in touch; the young artist obsessed with Mlle Balin.
The real issue with Edmond Greville's movie is incoherent editing. It was shot in 1938 and shelved; partially reshot in 1940 and released. The version I saw covered the Liberation of Paris in 1944, and the philosophic message about the need for liberty.... well, it's muffled with the twists and turns made to make it 'relevant' to an audience in 1945.
There might have been a good movie lurking there once upon a time. As it exists, it's a mess.