'Arc de Triomphe' is a poignant love story against all odds, love that brings pain, but also gives endless joy. The scene is Paris on the eve of World War II. The hero is a refugee from Germany, without documents, hiding from both the French and the Nazis, a surgeon who saves human lives. The heroine is an Italian actress, surrounded by fans, quick-tempered, like all artists, beautiful and irresistible. Both the time when the lovers happened to meet, and the city, permeated with a sense of impending disaster, become the heroes of this novel.