In 1920, country girl Mathilde is living in Brittany with her aunt and uncle when she learns that her fiancé Manech was one of five French soldiers condemned to a barbarous death by their own side. Court-martialed for intentionally wounding themselves, their punishment is to be thrown into no man's land, unarmed and with their hands tied behind their backs. But Manech may have survived. Hiring a dogged old bird of a private detective and a lawyer to aid her, Mathilde is off on an adventure. She pursues her sleuthing through a flurry of letters, documents, and private interviews--hunting down the soldiers who were in the trenches with Manech--along with their lovers and relatives. She also discovers that she has a sort of doppelgñger: a Corsican prostitute pursuing a parallel investigation for another of the five, and murdering anyone who did her own beloved mate wrong. Mathilde will have to hurry to follow the clues piecing the story together before they are lost forever.

D'après le roman de [After the novel by] Sébastien Japrisot.

Disc 1.Opening credits -- Five men on death row -- Six-Sous -- Benoît Notre-Dame -- Ange Bassignano -- Cornflower -- Bingo crépuscule -- Mess hall marauder -- No-man's land -- Let's hear it then -- If Chickpea comes in -- White widow -- In this whole story -- Germain Pire, the peerless pry -- Chick has flown the coop -- Good glass of wine -- Secret defense -- Reward for information -- Albatross is stubborn -- Letter from -- Flood of letters -- I want to understand! -- Borrowed woman -- Can one see far from -- Departure for the war -- Military cemetery of -- Let's meet under -- Roaming Poux -- For France-Charge! -- Soldier with German boots -- On the trail of sorrow -- God spared French soldier -- Try to be happy and don't -- He who pries flies -- End of the world farm -- Hospital of Combles -- Stay where you are, Mathilde -- Milly expedition -- Final credits -- (2004) (min.); Special features: Commentary by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet [in French with English subtitles]; Trailers (3 min.). Disc 2. Supplementary material: Une année au front: Les coulisses de "Un Long dimanche de Fiancailles" de Jean-Pierre Jeunet = A year at the front: behind the scenes of "A Very Long Engagement" (74 min.); Parisian scenes (14 min.); "Avant que tout explose" = "Before the explosion" (13 min.); Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (11 min.).