Before Winter Comes takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II. British Major Giles Burnside is assigned to a refugee camp in occupied Austria. His mission is to send groups of displaced civilians either to the Russian zone or the American zone. Burnside is a by-the-book officer, but he runs into trouble translating his orders into many different languages. One of the refugees, Janovic, can speak many languages and is willing to help. Janovic quickly conveys Burnside's orders and helps the camp run smoothly. The helpful refugee starts a romance with a lovely innkeeper, Maria; that is, until he discovers she's having an affair with Burnside, too. Meanwhile, Janovic is found to be a Red Army deserter, who should be returned to the Soviet authorities to be executed. Burnside offers to help him escape, but Janovic cannot decide whether or not to trust him (as if he's got anything to lose!).