World War II Italy...1943. After parachuting behind enemy lines on an espionage mission, an American soldier is imprisoned by the enemy. He escapes with four Italian prisoners, enlisting their aid in exploding a bridge.

While trying to remain faithful to his own life philosophy of permanent independence and denial of love, a characteristic so peculiar for his generation, Sasha refuses to admit both to himself and and to the others his love for Bojana. Everything changes when Bojana falls from scaffolding on Sasha's graduation day.