Ill met by moonlight

In 1944 on German-occupied Crete, the Germans truly believe that the Cretans are indeed cretins. As such, many of the Cretans work alongside some of the few native English for the resistance against their German oppressors. One of those English is Major Patrick Leigh Fermor (Sir Dirk Bogarde). Along with Captain W. Stanley Moss, M.C. (David Oxley), who he recruits from the British forces stationed in Cairo, Egypt. Paddy's latest mission is to kidnap Major General Kreipe (Marius Goring), the head of the German forces on the island, and transport him alive to the Allied base in Cairo. The move is solely one to embarrass, and thus demoralize the Germans by having the "inferior" Cretans pull off something this big on them. Kidnapping Kreipe, keeping him safe during the transport to the coast, and getting him onto the ship in the open coastline without being detected by the Germans, all have their challenges. On Paddy's and Moss's side is that they have the cooperation of most Cretans who, despite possible harm to themselves, largely help them in this mission, and that as such they have a better understanding of the nooks and crannies to hide Kreipe than the Germans, especially in the mountains. Amongst the obstacles they face are: having sporadic contact with their primary communications officer, Sandy (Cyril Cusack), who is holed up in a cave in the mountains; Kreipe perhaps finding a weak spot in their armor, especially in playing off even one poor Cretan who may fall prey to the possibility of a bigger individual payoff; and a deficiency unearthed in both Paddy's and Moss's military training.