On a small, remote island friends and family gather to celebrate drama critic`s Alexander birthday. The party is interrupted by a radio announcement: World War III has begun, and Mankind is only hours away from utter annihilation. Each of the guests reacts differently to the news: the most dramatic response is Alexander's, who promises God that he'll give up everything he holds dear—including his beloved 6-year-old son — if war is averted. Allan Edwall, a local mailman with purported mystical powers, offers to intervene with the Creator on Alexander's behalf.