Sotto Voce

During the Algerian war the road to Beni Boussaid on the MoroccoAlgeria border is obstructed by the Morice line a 430mile long belt that is electrified and heavily mined Moussa a Moroccan friend of the revolution helps refugees across the mountains However he must go through Beni Boussaid when he finds out that the path he usually takes is no longer safe Hans a Communist militant of the GDR loses a leg on the way while trying to remove a mine from a passageway Normally the wounded and sick are put to rest but Hans is not a Muslim and cannot be a martyr