On July 29, 1939, renowned British
big-game hunter Captain Alan Thorndike slips through the forest undetected near the
Berghof,
Adolf Hitler's residence near
Berchtesgaden. With Hitler in his
telescopic sight, he pulls the trigger on his unloaded rifle and gives a wave. He ponders a moment, then loads a live round, but is discovered at the last second by a guard, and the rifle goes off in their struggle. After being beaten, Thorndike is taken to Major Quive-Smith, who is also a devoted hunter and an admirer. Thorndike explains that he was not trying to kill, but did it just as a "sporting stalk", purely for the thrill of going after the biggest game of all. The major is unsure whether to believe him and insists that he sign a confession that he was working as an assassin for the British government. When Thorndike refuses, he is tortured, but remains steadfast and warns of "questions being asked in high places" if he is killed, as his brother Lord Risborough is a very important diplomat. Quive-Smith arranges to have Thorndike pushed off a cliff to make his death look like suicide. Thorndike survives when his knapsack gets caught in a tree, breaking his fall. He eludes his pursuers and reaches a port. He steals a rowing boat, but is forced to abandon it when a patrol boat comes near. He swims to a nearby ship. British
cabin boy Vaner helps Thorndike hide aboard. The Germans find Thorndike's coat and passport aboard the rowboat and search the nearby Danish-registered vessel. Though they find nothing, they place an agent, Mr. Jones, on board the London-bound freighter using Thorndike's passport to impersonate him. The agent is met by German confederates in London. Thorndike, mistakenly believing he is safe, casually disembarks and is spotted. He manages to hide in the apartment of a young woman named Jerry Stokes who lends him money so that he can reach his brother. When Lord Risborough tells his brother that the British government, continuing its
pre-war policy of appeasement, would have to
extradite him if he were found, Thorndike decides to hide in Africa. Jerry tries to refuse a large reward, leading Lady Risborough to assume that it is payment for other services, but Thorndike insists it isn't, and that she take it. He also buys her a new hatpin, as she had lost hers when they first met. She chooses a cheap chromium arrow and insists that Thorndike present it to her. Thorndike likens it to her, saying both are "straight and shiny". By this point, Jerry is in love. Quive-Smith arrives in London to join the hunt. When Thorndike calls on his solicitor, Farnsworthy, the Nazis are once again on his trail. Chased into a
London Underground station, Thorndike struggles with the agent Jones, who is killed when he is thrown onto an electrified rail. The dead man, mutilated beyond recognition by a subsequent train, is identified by his papers as Thorndike; the real Thorndike, identified as the murderer while leaving the station, is then subjected to a manhunt by British police. Thorndike tells Jerry to have Lord Risborough send him a letter in three weeks to the care of the
Lyme Regis post office, then flees London for more secure cover. Thorndike hides in a cave, but alarms the local postmistress when he tries to pick up the letter. He grabs it and retreats to his cave, where he finds it is from Quive-Smith, who has followed him to his lair. Quive-Smith seals the only entrance and passes Thorndike the confession and a pen through an airhole, threatening to leave him trapped inside. Quive-Smith slides in Jerry's beret, informing Thorndike that she was thrown out a window to her death when she would not betray him. The Germans found him by using the address that Thorndike had written for her. Badgered by Quive-Smith, Thorndike finally admits that he subconsciously intended to assassinate Hitler. He then agrees to sign the confession. Quive-Smith unblocks the entrance and waits to shoot Thorndike as he crawls out. However, Thorndike uses his belt and a slat from his bed to fabricate a bow, then a stick and the pin from Jerry's hat as a makeshift arrow, and shoots Quive-Smith through the airhole. When Thorndike emerges, Quive-Smith wounds him before dying. By the time Thorndike recovers, the war is well underway. Thorndike joins the
Royal Air Force as a
Bomber Command crewman. On a mission over Germany, he parachutes out with his hunting rifle, intending to assassinate Hitler. ==Cast==