With the advance of the Allies, the liberation of the Netherlands seems close, but it does not come without a price. Hundreds of Dutch people die in Allied bombardments, and in large parts of the country, a bitterly cold winter sets in with a harrowing shortage of food and fuel. The grueling final act of the occupation. When liberation finally arrives, not only joy prevails; it is also the beginning of the reckoning.

With the fall of Nazi Germany, the war is over. At least, that is the hope of the Europeans. But soon, it is precisely the Netherlands that is put to the test and will itself act as an aggressor. In August 1945, Indonesia, a Dutch colony, declares its independence. What follows is a bloody colonial war.