For Jonas Petraitis, Chief of Police in Kaunas, Lithuania, the worst he has to deal with is the occasional murder - until June 15, 1940, when the Soviet Army crosses the border and occupies his country. Through manipulation and deception Lithuania is annexed to the Soviet Union. Murder, rape and mass deportations follow as a band of partisans - store owners, journalists, teachers, policemen - prepares to fight against the might of the Red Army to restore their country's freedom. The story that unfolds is both a compelling human drama and an insightful study of war and its dark underbelly.