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In 1939 the scientific world is buzzing. The race for the atomic bomb is launched. But to control nuclear fission, the French and the Germans alike absolutely need heavy water. This rare resource is produced in a single factory in Vemork, a small Norwegian town, which then becomes a major strategic issue. From 1939 to 1944, the Allies lead several secret operations to recover the stocks of heavy water, and to prevent Hitler from getting his hands on them. This documentary, constructed as a true historical thriller, returns for the first time to this little known, but nevertheless crucial episode from the Second World War.