THE RETURN is based upon the lost diaries of an English soldier, Nicholas, who fell in love with a German girl, Isolde, before the Second World War. The story is seen through the eyes of Simone, a French screenwriter who discovers his diaries. The soldier's story is reconstructed as Simone immerses herself in Nicholas' account of searching for Isolde after the war and his memory of them together before the war shattered their lives.