In June 1940, the fall of France prompted General Charles de Gaulle to make an impassioned rallying call to his fellow citizens to fight back against the Germans. His famous radio speech, broadcast from the BBC in London, was later credited with igniting a spark of resistance which eventually grew into a vast underground network of civilians who took a stand against Nazi occupation in Europe. In this collection of real-life stories, we meet the forgotten Irish men and women who joined the Resistance. Discover Janie McCarthy, a teacher from Killarney who was active in five different resistance networks in Paris helping allied soldiers to get to safety; Captain John Keany from Cork, who parachuted behind enemy lines to help the Resistance in Italy; and Catherine Crean, the Irish governess born on Moore Street in Dublin, who was arrested for helping the Belgian Resistance and sent to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp.

These stories, and many more, chart the course of World War II and remind us of the power of individuals to make a difference.