Ilva runs her stepfather's Eden Palace cinema in wartime Paris against a background of Resistance activities, the frequent sight of less fortunate Parisians being shipped east in cattle-trains and, later, the impact of the D-Day landings. Over time a number of other lives intersect with hers, including a German officer and then two American servicemen. A post-war shooting comes to dominate her story along, perhaps surprisingly, with cinema itself.

A number of fighters are invited to DOA, an invitational martial arts contest. They travel to the tournament island by plane, until they have to jump out mid-flight with parachutes, and then have until sundown to reach the main island to be entered into the tournament. Fighters are then pooled against one another in a knock-out style tournament, with the loser of a battle sent home, and the winner progressing to the subsequent round. The plot revolves around four female fighters who begin as rivals, but subsequently find themselves teaming up against another force.

Private Donald Duck finally gets a chance to go up in the air, only to find he's less than enthusiastic for the real thing.