The story begins in sunny Italy, where we meet Lieutenant Hans von Witzland, a young man from an aristocratic Prussian family, and Sergeant Manfred “Rollo” Rohleder, a veteran of the Africa Corps. Initially, von Witzland appears to be a strict Nazi, refusing to pin a medal on Rohleder when he doesn’t button up his collar during inspection and saying, “Heroes aren’t late,” to Rohleder and his friend Corporal Fritz Reiser.

However, as the story progresses to the frozen steppe along the Volga, it becomes clear that von Witzland’s strict Prussian militarism is actually a front. He is an old-school German conservative who violently objects to the abuse of Russian prisoners and despises the Nazis. The film captures the brutality and futility of war, highlighting the human spirit’s struggle against the horrors of conflict.