Denmark shortly after the end of World War II: There are still up to two million land mines on the beaches. Since these sections of the beach were part of the Atlantic Wall of the German Wehrmacht, which was supposed to protect against Allied invasions, countless antitank weapons were left behind. During the withdrawal of the Wehrmacht thousands of young soldiers were captured and these men were used by the Danish army to clear the beaches and defuse the mines. First, Rasmussen, the sergeant who leads the mission and instructs the boys, shows no mercy. Although he assures them their freedom after their work is done, he believes that they have to blame their own situation. However, the young men gradually begin to grow in his heart, which makes it more and more difficult for him to deal with the tragedies that occur regularly.