In a small German town, during the last days of April 1945, a few schoolboys are still being drafted for war service. The end of the war is in sight and some people are attempting to avoid the senseless continuation of the fight, but the machine of war knows no reason. After one day's training the boys arc detailed to protect a nearby bridge, which, in any case, is a lost post. lndoctrinated by militaristic propaganda and incited by patriotism, they fanatically defend the bridge against American tanks and even against a German detachment which arrives to dynamite the bridge. All but one die for the Fatherland.