Where the Olive Trees Stand — A Film by Ari Taub

Plot

Where the Olive Groves Stand opens in the golden years before the Second World War. English-born Isla arrives at a crumbling Tuscan villa with her new husband, Alessandro Petrucci. Their love is as young and untamed as the land they cultivate, and the neglected farm soon flourishes with olive groves, wheat fields and fruit trees. Their family grows with the birth of Tomaso and Gloria, while Isla's spirited younger sister, Hazel, joins them at the villa.

The shadow of war soon reaches their peaceful valley. In early 1943, Isla and Alessandro shelter a group of pale, traumatised children evacuated from bombed cities. As Isla and Hazel help them adjust to rural life, more children arrive, each carrying memories of violence, separation and loss. The villa gradually becomes a refuge where they can begin to feel safe again.

Daily life is disrupted by a column of captured British soldiers being marched towards the nearby castle. Alessandro lends them his ox carts to carry their equipment. Among the prisoners is Edwin, a young soldier who catches Hazel's eye. Determined to help the starving men, Hazel secretly takes them food, and a romance develops between her and Edwin.

When German forces occupy the valley, the Petruccis' home becomes a sanctuary not only for children, but also for escaped British POWs, Italian partisans, Jewish refugees and political enemies. Alessandro and Isla provide food, clothing and lessons to the fugitives, helping the soldiers prepare to rejoin their units. Every act of kindness risks arrest and execution.

After learning that the Germans intend to capture the hidden POWs, Alessandro, Isla and Hazel warn the men under cover of darkness and provide them with food and maps. Edwin and Hazel share an emotional goodbye before the soldiers disappear into the surrounding fields and caves. When German troops arrive the following day, the children continue singing and playing in the garden while the adults conceal their fear.

By 1944, German soldiers have commandeered the villa and the front line is closing in. Bombs shake the walls as the family and children shelter in the cellar. When the Germans finally expel them, their home is no longer a refuge but a death trap caught between the opposing armies.

Alessandro, Isla and Hazel lead the children towards the nearest unoccupied town, travelling for miles along mined roads while aircraft swoop overhead and bombs fall around them. Exhausted and terrified, they eventually find shelter in the cellar of an ancient church, where local townspeople welcome and protect them.

Days later, the Allies liberate the town and eventually the valley. The Petruccis return to their damaged home and begin rebuilding their lives and the sanctuary they created. To Hazel's delight, Edwin also returns — injured, but determined to be reunited with her. Against the devastation of war, the olive groves remain standing as a symbol of courage, endurance and hope.