One woman, 9,387 graves, thousands of letters — and a promise kept for 60 years.
Madame Simone Renaud witnessed the liberation of France on June 6, 1944 from a very unique viewpoint: St. Mere Eglise, the first town liberated during the D-Day invasion. It was here that she and her husband, the mayor of St. Mere Eglise, witnessed so many American soldiers giving their lives to protect freedom and democracy. Their small town became these soldiers' final resting place and Madame Renaud spent a lifetime tending to their graves and corresponding with their loved ones back home. She became a friend, family and touchstone to those whose lives were forever changed on that day.
Writing
Letters read aloud that will wreck you completely.
Production
Rare archival footage of Saint-Mère-Église liberation.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Leslie Caron, who voices Simone, was herself a child in occupied France and remembers Allied liberation — her casting was deeply personal.
Simone's correspondence created an unofficial diplomatic channel during Cold War tensions; mothers of fallen soldiers became unlikely cultural ambassadors between French and American communities.
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