1914. To escape a life of destitution, Nélie Laborde joins the Red Cross and becomes a nurse on the front lines of the First World War. On the frontlines, Nélie spots a young woman hiding in the woods, who turns out to be a young Swiss aristocrat Rose Juillet, who has lost her father and fortune and is traveling to northern France to seek shelter with a wealthy family friend whom she has never met. But fate intervenes, and later that night, Rose is killed by a shell blast. Nélie makes an impulsive decision to take her identity and travel to Nancy to introduce herself in Rose’s place. Nélie is offered a position as a reader to the childless widow and begins to enjoy a life of comfort she has never known.

Secret Name is part of Young French Cinema, a program of Unifrance and Villa Albertine.