In her youth, Brigitte had fallen in love with the American Bobby Davis during summer 1936. That summer, the two had seen I'm No Angel starring Mae West in cinema. After Bobby had left France, they wrote letters to each other each week until the outbreak of World War II.
Brigitte became a member of the French Resistance cell of Sainte Claire during the German occupation, where she was responsible for decoding messages from the Allies. At some point, a high-ranking German officer became interested in her and impregnated her. Most villagers despised her for this, but her pregnancy gave her nearly unlimited access to the German headquarters.