May 1944, Corporal Andrew Thomas is granted leave to spend a few days with his family and the girl he would marry. But the mood is somber as the threat of war looms. A few short weeks later, wrenched from his loved ones and cast onto the beaches of Normandy, Andrew witnesses horrors that leave an indelible stain on his young heart. With the offensive gathering pace, Andrew's Sherman Tank develops a mechanical fault. He his crew are ordered to take shelter in an old chateau. There, he meets Anneke, a young woman who offers respite from the relentless carnage of the battlefield. But the tug of war soon drags him away again. When the killing is over, Andrew must seek out his love and pick up the pieces of a once simple life.