Germany 1945: The young soldier and deserter Willi Herold meets on his escape through the Emsland by chance some drunken compatriots who insult him as a coward and hunt him. However, he manages to hide from his pursuers and he can continue on his way. He discovers an abandoned car on the roadside and searches it. He finds an officer's uniform, which he applies without thinking too long, since he is already lightly dressed and does not want to freeze. Shortly thereafter, he is surprised by the soldier Freytag, who thinks he sees a captain because of his uniform. He asks permission to join the captain and they sit in the car and drive off. On their aimless way through the country, they pick up more soldiers and create a kind of death squad, which commits atrocities under the command of the false captain. The uniform, which for Willi was initially intended for the simple purpose of survival, is becoming a deadly instrument of power from which he can no longer detach himself.