Plot

A German soldier tries to determine if the Dutch resistance has planted a spy to infiltrate the home of Kaiser Wilhelm in Holland during the onset of World War II, but falls for a young Jewish Dutch woman during his investigation.

A riveting World War II thriller that is filled with espionage and romance in equal measure, The Exception follows German soldier Stefan Brandt as he goes on a mission to investigate exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser lives in a secluded mansion in The Netherlands, and as Germany is taking over Holland, the country's authorities are concerned that Dutch spies may be watching the Kaiser. As Brandt begins to infiltrate the Kaiser's life in search of clues, he finds himself drawn into an unexpected and passionate romance with Mieke, one of the Kaiser's maids whom Brandt soon discovers is secretly Jewish. When Heinrich Himmler, Head of the SS, decides to come for an unexpected visit with a large platoon of Nazis in tow, the stage is set for a breathtaking showdown, as secrets are revealed, allegiances are tested, and Brandt is forced to make the ultimate choice between honoring his country and following his heart.—A24 Films

The abdicated German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, a former ruler still considered an influential figure and prime target for assassination, spends his days in an isolated countryside estate near Nazi-occupied Utrecht. To prevent any possible attempts on the life of the silver-haired former monarch, the reluctant Wehrmacht Captain, Stefan Brandt, is assigned to oversee his security. However, rumours circulate about a stealthy spy in their midst. As Stefan embarks on a clandestine whirlwind romance with the estate's enigmatic Dutch handmaiden, Mieke de Jong, their risky relationship threatens to complicate the volatile situation. With the imminent arrival of the powerful Reichsführer, Heinrich Himmler, can Brandt protect both the Kaiser and the unexpected love of his life?—Nick Riganas

It is May, 1940. Germany has just invaded Holland and Belgium. Kaiser Wilhelm II, leader of Germany during the First World War, is still living in self-imposed exile near Utrecht, Holland. Hitler is concerned that the former Kaiser might become useful to German monarchists and militarists who remain opposed to Hitler and his Third Reich.

Captain Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney), a handsome Wehrmacht officer still convalescing from serious wounds received during the Polish campaign, is detached to take command of the Kaiser's newly assigned German military guard unit in Holland. Brandt arrives to find the dour, lonely and embittered Kaiser Wilhelm (Christopher Plummer) living in relative splendor at his country estate.

The local Gestapo agent, Dietrich (Mark Decker) orders Brandt to watch the Kaiser's activities and visitors closely, as he is under suspicion. He also explains that the British have an agent active in the area, but they haven't been able to identify him. Meanwhile, the Kaiser sends one of his servants, a beautiful Dutch girl named Mieke (Lily James) to Brandt's room to invite him to a formal introductory dinner that evening. Brandt eyes her admiringly, orders her to strip, then has brief and unemotional sex with her. It immediately becomes obvious that his abdominal wound is still quite painful.

At dinner, the Kaiser's wife asks Brandt about his background. He tells of his father's death during the battle of the Somme and begins to relate the difficulties his fatherless family faced in post-WW I Germany. The Kaiser becomes increasingly embarrassed and finally explodes, saying that he unfairly received all the blame for the war and was betrayed by his army, his navy and his country. He storms out. Brandt, flustered, apologizes to the Kaiser's wife. When he returns to his room, Mieke is waiting in the dark. This time she orders him to strip, pushes him onto the bed and mounts him. He later asks her to stay the night but she won't.

The next day, Mieke slips into town to meet with a local priest, who is actually her handler with British intelligence. As she leaves the rendezvous, Dietrich is watching her from a parked car. As Brandt and Mieke engage in another steamy tryst, she admits she is Jewish. Brandt calmly takes in the news and drolly states that he is not, and that he doesn't care. But he admonishes her to keep quiet about it. Mieke allows him to spend the night in her room and notices that he suffers from bad dreams. She asks Brandt about them. He doesn't respond, but we see that his dreams involve civilians murdered by the Germans in Poland.

Dietrich drops by to tell Brandt that the Gestapo is making steady progress on triangulating the location of the clandestine radio broadcasts back to England. They are coming from somewhere in the village. He also drops a bombshell, informing Brandt that SS Reichsfuhrer Himmler is coming by the next day to pay his respects to the Kaiser and assess his loyalties. Dietrich has the Kaiser's home thoroughly searched by soldiers and Gestapo agents in advance of Himmler's visit, infuriating the Kaiser. Brandt rushes to Mieke's room ahead of the soldiers and makes sure it is clear of contraband. He is beginning to suspect that she is hiding something.

The Gestapo finally locates the radio transmitter and bursts into the priest's room. He is beaten and arrested. Mieke sleeps with Brandt again and asks once more about his dreams. He reluctantly tells her about an SS massacre of innocent villagers that he came upon in Poland. He was especially haunted by a beautiful little girl who died in his arms. He tells Mieke that he beat the SS officer senseless in front of his men, and states that such men shame Germany. Mieke tells him that such murderous men are the rule in Hitler's Germany, not the exception. Brandt denies it, but then asks her to marry him. He promises to protect her. As Mieke sneaks out of Brandt's room, they are caught red-handed by the household staff. The Kaiser's wife orders their dismissal, but the old man intervenes and countermands her instructions.

Dietrich takes Brandt into town and shows him the beaten and bloodied priest, who is being tortured into divulging his espionage activities. Sickened, Brandt returns to the estate and confronts Mieke. He has seen her with the priest and knows she is a spy. Brandt is clearly torn between love and duty.

Himmler arrives at the estate with his entourage, including a beautiful mistress. He is supposedly bearing a top-secret message from the Fuhrer, summoning the Kaiser back to Berlin to re-occupy the throne. The Kaiser and his wife are elated, but Himmler subsequently and unexpectedly drops in on Brandt and Dietrich during a schnapps drinking session to inform them that the whole thing is a deception. Hitler is using the ruse to flush out any remaining monarchists in Germany. Brandt and Dietrich are instructed to intercept all of the Kaiser's communications and report back to Berlin.

Over dinner, Himmler horrifies most of the assembled guests with his detached, clinical discussion of the "Jewish problem" and the possible solutions being explored to dispose of undesirables. The Kaiser and his wife are virulent anti-Semites and anti-Communists, but not monstrous killers. The Kaiser's loyal aide, Colonel Sigurd von Ilsemann (Ben Daniels), points out that hundreds of thousands of Jews fought for Germany in the last war. Unimpressed, Himmler calmly details a recent experiment where doctors injected phenol into the hearts of disabled children. He laments the inefficiency of the process, only allowing them to kill ten children per minute. A stunned silence follows. As the dinner party breaks up, Mieke once again tells Brandt that men like Himmler are the rule in the Third Reich. Men like Brandt are the exception. The disillusioned Kaiser wanders off alone into the grounds surrounding his estate. Brandt catches up to Dietrich and advises him to keep him apprised of any information forced out of the tortured priest.

Back in the house, Brandt collars von Ilsemann and pointedly asks him if an officer can have a loyalty to anything greater than his country. Ilsemann responds that the officer must first define for himself what his country is, and if it even exists anymore. Satisfied, Brandt divulges that Himmler's offer to the Kaiser is a trap.

Mieke tracks down the Kaiser in the woods, where she delivers a secret message from Churchill. The Kaiser is to be granted exile in Britain until he is restored to the throne of a defeated Germany. After hearing the news, the overtaxed old man collapses with chest pains. Mieke returns to the house for help and encounters a worried Brandt. Dietrich soon phones to explain that Mieke is the British agent. As the Gestapo hurries to the estate, Brandt tells Mieke she must trust him while he quickly hatches an escape plan. He commandeers a van and goes to pick up the ailing Kaiser, who is carefully laid out in the back of the vehicle. Brandt then puts Mieke in back with the Kaiser. At the front gate, Dietrich tells Brandt that the estate perimeter has been sealed. Brandt heatedly states that he must get the stricken old man to the hospital. A suspicious Dietrich insists on searching the vehicle, over Brandt's objections. Mieke prepares to swallow a cyanide capsule, but the Kaiser stops her. As the rear doors are opened, Brandt raises Mieke's gun and uses it to kill both Dietrich and another Gestapo agent. The van roars off into the night.

Early the next morning, Brandt stops in the woods so Mieke can continue her escape to England. The Kaiser is sleeping peacefully in back. Mieke begs for Brandt to come with her, but he explains that he cannot abandon his country. She objects, saying that he will surely be shot, but he says he has a believable cover story. As the officer in charge of the Kaiser's safety, his first priority was to take him to the hospital. After he left the estate, the British agent obviously shot the two Gestapo agents. They embrace before Mieke slips away into the woods. As she leaves, Brandt calls out to her and asks again if she will marry him. She tells him to look her up after the war. Asked if that is a "yes," Mieke responds "Of course!"

Brandt throws Mieke's gun into a pond before tending to the Kaiser. A few months later, Brandt is seen at his posting back in Berlin. Another officer drops a Red Cross bundle on his desk. When he opens it, he discovers a Friedrich Nietzsche book that he knew had belonged to Mieke. It is inscribed anonymously but bears a London address. He knows she has made it home safely. As air raid sirens wail, Brandt telephones the Kaiser's estate with the good news. Back in England, Mieke is waiting on a park bench when a female air raid warden approaches and says that the Prime Minister is ready to see her. As she stands, we see that she is carrying a living reminder of her affair with Captain Brandt.

Brandt remains at his desk all alone, staring at the book while the roar of the bombers overhead intensifies.