Paul Le Goupil was born in 1922. After qualifying as a teacher in 1942 he became a militant in the resistance movement of the FN (Front National for the Struggle of French Liberation). In 1943 he organised the FPJ (Front Patriotic de Jeunesse) in Normandy. His experiences both before and after his betrayal are the subject of this book. He was one of the few to survive Auschwitz, Buchenwald and the brutal SS organised march.
He returned to Normandy after being in Soviet and American hands to his life as a teacher in north West France. He retired in 1978 and lives in Valcanville, Normandy. He was awarded the Legion d’Honneur in 1964.