At the Hotel Monte Gabriele, in the Italian Alps, the owner, Pittaluga, has hired an American, Donald Navadel, to coordinate and head winter sports activities for the guests. However, it is the late 1930s, and tourism has taken a dive. One day, a Switzerland-bound train, full of guests, stops by. Included among these guests is Harry Van, with a large number of blonde girls that he sings and dances with in tours across the world. He spots a woman believed to be a Russian countess, Irene, with whom he had an affair. They resume their affair as war comes over the horizon. When the other guests leave, they decide to stay there, even as bombs start to hit the area.
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