A World War II adventure involving a group of Allied P.O.W.s, Nazis, black market priceless art treasures, Greek resistance, a Greek monastery, and a secret German rocket base.
During World War II, the prisoners of a German camp on a Greek island are trying to escape. They don't want only their freedom, but they also seek an ineffable treasure hidden in a monastery at the top of the island's mountain.—Chris Makrozahopoulos <[email protected]>
Greece, 1944. On a Nazi-occupied Greek island, the Germans have built an unusual POW camp. There, an imprisoned British archaeologist and his fellow inmates must work their fingers to the bone to unearth ancient artefacts for Berlin. Instead, the camp's commandant, Major Otto Hecht, is secretly skimming the treasures for himself. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler's plan to plunder the treasure-laden isle is well underway. But as an Allied operation looms, Zeno, a defrocked Greek monk and now the leader of a local pocket of resistance, and Eleana, his part-time lover, keep a close watch. However, everything turns upside down when a glamorous American couple arrives, igniting a frenzy of greed and ambition. As a result, the key to everyone's desires may lie hidden in a remote mountaintop monastery brimming with invaluable Byzantine art masterpieces. Is the lure of gold mightier than anything else? Can the daring opportunists escape from Athena and strike it rich in the process?—Nick Riganas
In 1944, Allied prisoners at a POW camp on an unnamed Greek island are forced to excavate ancient artifacts inside the temple of Neptune (where people brought in their "offerings" to the sea god). The camp Commandant, Major Otto Hecht (Roger Moore), a former corrupt Austrian antiques dealer, is sending some of the most valuable pieces to his sister living in Switzerland (and everything else to Berlin). However, the prisoners have discovered that they will be sent to other camps once the finds run out, so they arrange to keep "discovering" the same pieces. While Hecht is content to sit out the war, the SS Commandant of the nearby town, Major Volkmann (Anthony Valentine) (town commandant and Hecht's rival), brutally enforces discipline, including reprisal executions of civilians.
Resistance to the Germans is led by Zeno (Telly Savalas), a former monk, and his few fighters. They use the local brothel, run by his girlfriend Eleana (Claudia Cardinale), as an undercover headquarters. Zeno, who is in contact with Allied Headquarters, is ordered to break the prisoners out of their camp and use them to help liberate the town and capture the nearby U-boat refueling depot.Two captured USO artists, Charlie (Elliott Gould) and Dottie (Stefanie Powers) are brought into the monastery. Hecht is enamored by Dottie and wants Charlie to organize a concert for the Germans in the camp. Hecht tells Charlie that the "real" treasures are not in the camp, but in mount Atena.
Zeno uses a visit by Lt Braun (Siegfried Rauch) to the brothel, to cut the brakes of the car, causing his death later. Volkmann is angry and kills a random prostitute out of spite and promises to kill 10 more if the real murderer of Braun does not surrender within 48 hours.
Professor Blake (David Niven) asks Charlie and Dottie perform a concert as cover, while the Greek Resistance (led by Zeno) takes over the camp. With the choice of being killed by Zeno or helping them (they want Hecht to continue to engage Volkmann so that he believes everything is alright at the camp), Hecht joins forces with the Allies. Hecht arranges things such that the resistance forces get access to the town and the refueling depot, thereby helping them eradicate Volkmann's troops as well as capturing the fuel depot simultaneously (there is a pitched battle for the town, with Charlie himself pursuing Volkmann on a bike and killing him before he is able to radio for help).After completing the mission, Charlie asks Zeno to lead him and two other prisoners, Judson (Richard Roundtree) and Rotelli (Sonny Bono) (an Italian POW, professional chef), up to the monastery on Mount Athena to steal Byzantine treasures kept there by the monks. However, Zeno tells Charlie that the treasures belong to the Greek people.
Zeno now receives word from Allied intelligence that the planned invasion of the islands has been brought forward, and so the German garrison in the monastery atop Mount Athena must be neutralized. Without revealing the whole truth, Zeno tells Charlie, Rotelli and Judson that in return for helping liberate the monks from the Germans, whatever they find there would be theirs.Meanwhile Hecht helps save Dottie's life when she is tasked by Blake to neutralize the submarine refueling station and comes under attack by 3 frogmen, who had concealed themselves when they saw the base being run over by resistance forces.
However, on climbing to the monastery, the group discover a heavily armed garrison. Zeno uses gas to knock out most of the soldiers, but not before their commander orders a V-2 rocket launch to destroy the allied invasion fleet which is headed towards the islands. Judson knocks out the control room with grenades, but one of the Germans survives long enough to activate the base's self-destruct mechanism. Not realizing the danger immediately, Charlie and Rotelli scour the monastery for the treasure, while Judson frees the monks. Zeno finds the self-destruct clock, but he cannot deactivate it. Zeno, the monks and the Americans escape the monastery before it explodes. Searching for treasure until the last minute, Charlie escapes the explosion with the only treasure the Germans left behind - tin plates adorned with Hitler's face.
During the victory celebration in the village, Hecht, Charlie, and Dottie plan after the war to capitalize on treasures Hecht has already looted, by making copies to sell to Americans. Professor Blake (David Niven) (senior British officer among the prisoners and a well-known archaeologist) learns from one of the freed monks that their treasure - Byzantine plates made of gold - is safe, having been hidden in the brothel the entire time.The final scene cuts to the modern day, by which time Zeno's former headquarters have been turned into a state museum housing the treasures of Mount Athena.
