1917, East Africa. A German pastor—also a doctor, and married to a Frenchwoman—teaches his son Josef to fly the Albatros biplane he uses to visit his rural patients. But the war raging in Europe has spread to Africa, where the Allies are fighting the Germans in their various colonies. Against this backdrop—and strictly against his father's wishes—Josef dreams of flying the nest, and makes a decision that will have terrible consequences...

1920, Paris. The Great War is over, and Josef and his family move to France. To provide for their mother and siblings, Josef and his younger brother Moses find work at the Caudron Brothers airplane factory in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. Still hoping to become a professional pilot, Josef chases his dream by hanging around the nearby airfield. With a German accent, however, and an apprentice's meager wage, he is a long way from achieving his ambitions. But when he discovers the dubious activities of the gang his brother Moses has become involved with, he sees the means to realize his goal—whatever the consequences might be...

1924, near Paris. Josef has settled down with Adèle... but still dreams of flying. Yet even with his new pilot's license, he lacks the experience that will make the airlines take him seriously. Bored and frustrated, he accepts a job with a flying circus, standing in for an injured pilot. Though extremely dangerous, and despite Adèle's objections, he sees this as a chance to rack up some flying time—and as a first step toward becoming a professional pilot. His goal is to join the new airmail service run by Latécoère, later to become famous as Aéropostale. Its owner plans to extend the service from Toulouse to Dakar—a project fraught with danger... and excitement!