It is a historical film based on real events. The story follows the brave and dedicated actions of former New York lawyer, now Major Charles White Whittlesey, and on the experiences of soldiers in the American 77th Infantry Division, about 550 of whom were isolated and surrounded by the Germans during the Battle of the Argonne in World War I. The men suffered from thirst, hunger, and heavy losses, but refused to surrender.
The action takes place in the Great War in 1918, in the Meuse-Argonne Sector in France.