Casablanca—easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if your name is on the Nazi's most-wanted list. Atop that list is Czech resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), whose only hope for escape is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American who risks his neck for no one—especially Laszlo and his wife, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick’s ex-lover who broke his heart. Rick has sought refuge from his misery in French-held Morocco, seemingly content to ignore the war raging in Europe and quietly tend his business. That business is a seedy nightclub that caters to an even seedier clientele. Ilsa begs Rick for help—he has come into possession of the letters of transport Laszlo needs to get out of the country. She offers herself in exchange for Laszlo's safe transport. Bitter Rick must decide what is more important—his own happiness or the lives that hang in the balance.