Copyright 1997 ShowtimeNetworks Inc.

"Aart and Johtje Vos"

It's 1940 in Holland, and while the country is in the threes of Nazi invasion, Johtje Vos, the granddaughter of a former Dutch prime minister, marries a simple farmer named Aart Vos. Unfortunately, their wedding reception is interrupted by a snooping SS Lieutenant and the local Dutch police chief who are searching for three escaped Jews.

Painfully aware that two Jewish musician friends are at the wedding, Johtje fearlessly defies the Nazi and his collaborator friend, insisting they leave the party. Her regal bearing is every bit the match of the SS lieutenant's Aryan smugness. Nevertheless she has made a dangerous enemy who promises to return at will. "I will come and go as I please," he says, casually pointing a pistol at Johtje.

The threat proves almost a challenge to the Vos', who, during the course of the war, take in 35 Jews, artists and political dissidents and seem to thrive on the cat-and-mouse game they play with their Nazi tormentor. But this is no game. The sanctuary they provide demands intricate planning and unimaginable risk-taking.

They even wind up digging a tunnel behind their house that will enable the Jews to escape into the forest if endangered. They must do all of this to obtain the food, medicine, documentation and ultimate escape for their charges that are vital to their survival.

rescue04.wav
"Please hurry. There's a German camp just down the road."

rescue05.wav
"This way. There's a truck waiting."