The Fifth New Yorker that became the 369th Infantry Regiment fought in France during the First World War. What is so special about this unit: all soldiers were African-Americans. Initially the high-command was reluctant to use these troops to fight the Germans and assigned them to simple tasks behind the front lines. The film describes the bigotry and racism of high-ranking members of the militry and US-government officials who handled the unit, i.e. when the construction of a memorial for the unit`s 4.000 dead was delayed for several years. Nonetheless the interviewed veterans never appear bitter and openly report on their experience.