Stanley Kubrick's first film. Shows the universality of human behaviors under combat conditions. During a war "outside history", four soldiers survive the crash of their plane in enemy territory. As they attempt to escape to their own lines they encounter enemy soldiers (who look like them) and a woman. Three go to build a raft to carry them to safety while the one soldier left to guard the woman tries to seduce her. She flees. He kills her, then goes mad. The three other soldiers attack an enemy outpost. They seize an enemy plane and escape.