Fortunes of War
Miniseries
English literature lecturer Guy Pringle and his wife Harriet navigate the early years of WWII in Bucharest. They become involved in anti-fascist politics and are forced to flee as the war escalates, crossing paths with various characters along the way.
Where to Watch Fortunes of War • Miniseries
7 Episodes
- The Balkans: September 1939
E1The Balkans: September 1939Newlyweds Guy and Harriet Pringle arrive in Bucharest, as does the impoverished Prince Yakimov, who takes a temporary job as a journalist for a British newspaper to save himself from destitution. Harriet is introduced to her fellow expatriates (befriending the middle-class Bella, who has married a wealthy local) and to Guy's Romanian friend and admirer Sophie. Their peace is interrupted by the assassination of Romanian PM Călinescu and Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Rumours fly of a German invasion of Romania, and Guy, though absorbed in his work and organising social events, is concerned about the family of Jewish student Sasha Drucker, given the antisemitic Romanian regime. - Romania: January 1940
E2Romania: January 1940January 1940. The Romanian Prime Minister has been assassinated by the fascist Iron Guard and Bucharest is rife with rumour and counter-rumour. Guy, gregarious as ever, is at the centre of the city's intellectual life, popular alike with his students and with the ex-patriate community of diplomats, agents, refugees, spies and politicians. Harriet is beginning to wonder when he will find time for her. - Greece: October 1940
E4Greece: October 1940October 1940. Unwittingly betrayed by Prince Yakimov, Guy's name has appeared on a Gestapo "death list." The Pringle flat has been ransacked and the Jewish refugee, Sasha Drucker, has disappeared. Bucharest is overrun by Germans and it is time for the English to move on. Harriet, alone, waits anxiously for Guy to join her in Athens. - Egypt: April 1941
E5Egypt: April 1941April 1941. As German troops advance into Greece and the Allied forces mobilise, Harriet's brief encounter with a young army officer comes to an end. As the English community prepares to leave Athens, Prince Yakimov is tragically killed, and Guy and Harriet escape in the nick of time on a derelict cargo boat. - Egypt: September 1942
E6Egypt: September 1942September 1942. After fighting his first battle in the Western desert, Simon Boulderstone sets out in search of his brother, only to learn that he was killed in action. Guy returns from Alexandria to take charge of the Institute in Cairo. Harriet feels that she could play no part in his ambitious plans for reorganisation. - The Middle East: January 1943
E7The Middle East: January 1943As Guy struggles to cope with his presumed loss of Harriet, Boulderstone starts his painful and slow road to recovery. Harriet makes a new friend and rediscovers old ones as she takes in the sights of Damascus. Upon discovering that Guy thinks she's dead, Harriet rushes back to Egypt.
