During World War II, Finnish army Lieutenant Eero Perkola (Peter Franzén) is in charge of a platoon stationed along the Russo-Finnish border. They await instructions before attacking the Russians, and are told to form a reconnaissance mission. The men arrive at a nearby village, where Perkola reunites with his fiancée, Kaarina (Irina Björklund), a member of the women's auxiliary unit. After they pull out, Perkola receives terrible news that changes his entire outlook on the war.