Number the Stars recap

In occupied Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen's family hides her Jewish friend Ellen Rosen when German forces begin arresting Jews. They take Ellen to Uncle Henrik's coastal home, where a false funeral disguises a gathering of refugees waiting to cross to Sweden. German soldiers search the house, but the group reaches Henrik's fishing boat. When Mama is injured after escorting them, Annemarie must deliver a vital packet herself. She gets past soldiers and dogs by acting like an ignorant child; the packet's treated handkerchief prevents the dogs from detecting the hidden passengers, and Henrik carries the Rosens safely to Sweden. Annemarie learns that her late sister Lise and Peter Neilsen both served in the Resistance. After liberation, she hopes for Ellen's return and takes out the Star of David necklace she has protected for her friend.

In 1943 Copenhagen, ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen, her friend Ellen Rosen, and Annemarie's little sister Kirsti encounter German soldiers on their way home from school. Occupation has made shortages, curfews, and armed patrols ordinary, though the adults remain careful about what they say. When a Jewish shopkeeper's store is abruptly closed, Annemarie learns that the danger to Denmark's Jews is increasing. She thinks about courage, her dead older sister Lise, and King Christian X, whose daily rides through the city have made him a symbol of Denmark's shared identity. Ellen's family is Jewish, and the Johansens begin to understand that their friends may soon need more than sympathy.

The Rosens receive warning that German forces plan to arrest Jewish families during the New Year holiday. Ellen stays with the Johansens and pretends to be their daughter while her parents hide elsewhere. Soldiers enter the apartment at night and question the family. Papa tears Ellen's Star of David necklace from her neck before it can expose her, and he convinces the intruders that her dark hair resembles Lise's by showing them a baby photograph. The next day Mama takes Annemarie, Kirsti, and Ellen by train to Uncle Henrik's farmhouse on the coast. Papa remains in Copenhagen, using a strange telephone exchange about cigarettes as code to tell Henrik that refugees are coming.

At Uncle Henrik's house, Annemarie sees Sweden across the water and notices that the adults are concealing a plan. Mama and Henrik claim that a great-aunt has died, although Annemarie knows no such relative exists. A coffin is brought into the living room, and mourners arrive, including Peter and the reunited Rosen family. When Annemarie confronts Henrik about the lie, he explains that limited knowledge can make bravery possible because a person cannot reveal what she does not know. German soldiers then enter the supposed wake and demand that the coffin be opened. Mama improvises a warning that the dead woman had a contagious illness, and an officer strikes her but decides not to risk exposure. After the soldiers leave, Peter opens the empty coffin and distributes blankets and clothing hidden inside.

Peter organizes the refugees into small groups and leads them toward Uncle Henrik's fishing boat, where they will be concealed for a crossing to Sweden. Mr. Rosen trips in the darkness, and Peter gives the baby in another family a few drops of medicine so its crying will not betray them. Mama escorts the Rosens while Annemarie stays with Kirsti. When Mama has not returned by morning, Annemarie finds her outside with a badly injured ankle; she fell on the path after seeing the group safely onward. They discover that an important packet Peter meant Henrik to carry was dropped. With little time before the boat leaves, Mama hides the packet in a food basket and sends Annemarie running alone through the woods to deliver it.

On the forest path, Annemarie draws strength from a fairy tale she tells Kirsti and tries to behave like an unimportant child carrying lunch. Soldiers with dogs stop her near the harbor, search the basket, and inspect the packet. She complains and answers simply enough that they dismiss her, though they take some of the food. Annemarie reaches Henrik's boat in time. Later Henrik explains that the packet held a handkerchief treated with chemicals: it attracted the search dogs and then temporarily destroyed their sense of smell, preventing them from detecting the refugees hidden below deck. The Rosens reach Sweden safely. Annemarie's frightened errand proves essential to the escape even though, as Henrik intended, she did not know the packet's purpose while carrying it.

The occupation lasts two more years. Annemarie learns that Lise had been active in the Danish Resistance and was deliberately killed by German forces, a truth her parents had concealed. Peter continues resistance work until he is captured and executed. In May 1945, Germany surrenders and Copenhagen celebrates liberation. Neighbors bring out flags, and the Johansens look after the Rosens' apartment while waiting for the Jewish families sheltered in Sweden to return. Annemarie, now twelve, asks about Ellen's necklace. Papa reveals that he has kept it safe since the night of the search. Annemarie decides to wear the Star of David herself until Ellen comes home, preserving both their friendship and the promise of reunion.

Annemarie reaches Uncle Henrik's boat after bluffing past German soldiers and their dogs. The packet in her basket contains a drug-treated handkerchief that disables the dogs' ability to smell the people hidden below deck, allowing Henrik to carry the Rosens and other Jewish refugees safely across to Sweden. Mama later explains the operation and tells Annemarie that Lise had also belonged to the Resistance and was killed by the Germans rather than in an ordinary accident. Two years later the war ends. Peter has been captured and executed, but Denmark celebrates liberation and expects its Jewish citizens to return from Sweden. Annemarie retrieves Ellen's Star of David necklace, which she kept hidden throughout the occupation, and decides to wear it until her friend comes home.