During the last days of the war, six soldiers and one woman find themselves trapped within a deep cave - formerly a depot - in the Italian mountains. Among them a German officer, an American GI, an Italien woman and four others.
Although they stand on different sides the seemingly hopeless situation ties them closer together - but at the same time human weaknesses emerge.
Eventually two of the group try to find an exit. Lt. Carter dies in an attempt to escape via the stream that runs through the cave. Lt. Beck finds a way into the open but is chot by Americans as he steps out of the cave. He he falls back into the cave and dies without being able to reveal the exit.
The survivors try to keep sane, but keep grating upon each other. The pressure reaches a fever pitch when the British general blows his head off. The gunshot creates an explosion and the others escape.