Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl, helps the Allies win WWII by sending coded messages on the radio. Aria Mia Loberti plays Marie in All the Light We Cannot See.
Before coming to Saint-Malo, Marie lived in Paris with her father, Daniel. Her father loved her and taught her to be independent. However, Daniel was also responsible for Marie losing her sight, as Daniel touched the Sea of Flames, a cursed stone that brings misfortune to its possessor’s loved ones.
Marie used to listen to a man called the Professor on the radio. The Professor told children facts and preached peace. Years later, Marie not only meets the man but also continues the work that he started.
Following in the Professor’s footsteps
Daniel used to work in a museum in Paris. In 1940, when Germany invades Paris, Marie and Daniel leave the city, but not before sending the museum jewels to Geneva. Daniel keeps the Sea of Flames with him instead of sending it away with the others.
Daniel then takes Marie to Saint-Malo to live with his Uncle Etienne and Etienne’s sister, Madam Manec. The moment Marie meets Etienne, she recognizes him as the Professsor, but she agrees to keep her discovery a secret.
Marie is adored by both Etienne and Madam Manec. Marie and Daniel are happy there, but soon they find themselves in trouble. The Germans are looking for Daniel because they want the Sea of Flames, and it is only a matter of time before they find him in Saint-Malo.
To keep Marie safe, Daniel goes to Paris to mislead the Germans, never to return. Marie keeps waiting for her father to come back, as she believes that he is alive but hiding from the Germans.
Etienne and Madam Manec, who work for the Resistance, then hear about the Americans coming to free France. Marie is the only one who keeps pushing Etienne to go out of the house and move on from the past.
Eventually, her efforts bear fruit, and Etienne starts going out with Marie to gather intelligence for the Resistance. Soon after, Madam Manec passes away. Etienne also stops coming home, as his work catches the attention of the Germans.
Marie is left alone at home. She uses Etienne’s radio to broadcast every night, even though it is punishable by death. Marie reads a book on the radio. By doing that, she delivers the Resistance’s messages to the Allies.
She also sends messages to her father and Etienne, hoping that they will be listening. The Germans have not been able to kill her for broadcasting because Werner, a German radio operator, has been protecting her, as she gives him hope the way the Professor once did.
The biggest threat
A German high-ranking officer, Reinhold von Rumpel, is looking for Marie, as he believes that Daniel left the Sea of Flames with her. The locals refuse to give him Marie’s address, as they are more scared of the Resistance than the Germans.
Daniel built a wooden model of the city, so Marie is familiar with the streets and can go wherever she wants on her own. Reinhold finds Marie when she steps out of the house to get food, but Marie manages to escape.
Eventually, Reinhold comes to know where Marie lives and attacks her at Etienne’s house. He also tells her that he tortured and killed her father when he refused to put Marie in danger. By this time, Etienne is also dead.
Marie believes that her father is not gone as long as she lives. Etienne had taught her how to use the gun that he had given her. She now uses the gun to injure Reinhold. With a little help from Werner, Marie is able to kill her father’s murderer.
As the city is freed by the Americans, Marie and Werner spend some time together before Werner surrenders to the Americans. Marie then gets rid of the Sea of Flames, the stone that got her father killed.
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