Against his will, Alex has to share his home in The Hague with Gunther Blechmann, an SS officer of the occupying German forces. Liberation of the Netherlands by the advancing Canadians seems imminent, but meanwhile the Dutch are struggling to survive a particularly harsh winter, the Hunger Winter.

While living in the house, the Kommandant noticed that Alex has friends in the Dutch Resistance, but lacks sufficient evidence to imprison them. He will not rest until he catches the entire group.

In Dutch Defense, Alex's and Gunther's dispassionate shared interest in chess contrasts starkly with the worsening oppression and hunger in the Netherlands in the chokehold of German occupation.

The author's memories from 1940-45 bring to life the dizzying twists and turns of this episodic story, showing the courage and ingenuity of ordinary young people who created their own resistance cell against the Third Reich.