The action takes place on an island threatened by invasion. Jan and Eva Rosenberg, two musicians, have left the mainland after their orchestra was disbanded because of a civil war. They reside in a farmhouse and are living by selling fruit and vegetables.

The film opens with a soundtrack of foreign language voices, warfare noises and studio directives. We see Jan and Eva facing another day. He is preoccupied with a dream and a painful wisdom tooth. Eva reviews the household budget, impatient with Jan's self-absorption.

On route to town with a delivery of fruit they argue about his failure to repair the radio, their only contact with the outside world. They stop and buy fish from a friend Filip, who warns them of a rumour about an invasion. On the ferry they meet Mayor Jacobi and his wife who agree to get together for a musical evening.

Having delivered the fruit they visit an antique dealer who has just been drafted into the army. While he is away fetching a bottle of wine they listen to Bach on a fine music box made of Meissen china.

At home they eat their meal and Eva brings up the topic of children. She begs him to go to see a doctor. The scene is interrupted by the sounds of aircraft overhead. A parachutist falls from the sky and lands in a tree. Eva wants to rescue him but Jan grabs a gun to defend himself. The house is surrounded by soldiers and they are interrogated in a televised interview. Eva expresses relief they have no children.

The house is rocked with mortar fire. The couple collect their belongings and pack their car, with Jan trying to shoot the chickens. As they drive across the island they see fires and the landscape is strewn with corpses including a small child. The road is blocked and they return home surrounded by the noise of fighting. Jan takes his violin and tells the story of its maker who was a contemporary of Beethoven.

Travelling to their local store they are arrested with other customers and taken to the schoolhouse for interrogation. The televised interview is shown with Eva's voice replaced by a dubbed propagandist. They are pushed into a room where people have been tortured. Later they are picked out by Jacobi who has joined the invaders. He releases them with an apology.

Jan and Eva's relationship deteriorates from this point. In a scene where they are digging potatoes, a tense situation descends into verbal and physical strife. Jacobi visits bringing gifts and talks to them about the holy freedom of art, the holy gutlessness of art. Jan gets drunk and falls asleep. Jacobi gives Eva a large sum of money and talks about his mother. While they are in the greenhouse making love Jan wakes, stumbles into the bedroom and pockets the money left on the bed.

The house is surrounded by freedom fighters lead by Filip. Jacobi wants to buy his freedom but Jan denies any knowledge of the missing money. The house is searched and destroyed. Fiilp hands Jan a pistol and orders him to execute Jacobi. He tries to oblige but misses his aim leaving the other fighters to finish the job.

Jan and Eva are shown standing expressionless outside the ruins of their house. They now live in the greenhouse. One day they find a young deserter. Eva gives him food and drink while Jan questions him. The boy is later killed by Jan after he reveals the departure of a boatload of refugees.

Jan and Eva are on their way to the sea. He pulls a cart with their belongings while she stumbles behind. At the seashore they meet Filip and they buy two seats in an open boat. The boat is shown drifting in a sea of dead bodies from a torpedoed warship. Supplies are running out and the survivors are drinking contaminated water.

In the night Filip commits suicide by slipping over the edge. Jan watches the act but doesn't try to stop it. The film ends with Eva telling Jan of a dream where she is walking down a street with houses on one side and a lovely park on the other. A high wall of roses suddenly bursts into flame from fire from an aircraft. Eva feels she should remember something important that has been said but cannot.