When the company arrives in a quiet village recently evacuated by the Germans, they are not welcomed by the town's inhabitants. Things become more complicated when they learn that a few Germans stayed behind in the village and are holding the village's children hostage. Captain Benedict must decide whether to gamble the lives of the children.
Landing with the invasion forces at Salerno, Italy, in 1943, Conley Wright joins an infantry unit commanded by Capt. Jim Benedict. The young officer is still unsure of himself, and his ability as a combat leader is severely tested by his first assignment—the taking of San Pietro, whose heavy defenses have repelled tank battalions.