The year is 1944; the place, Winterspelt, a small village on the Belgian border which is also the German front line. To everyone involved, Germans and Americans alike, it is obvious that Germany has unofficially lost the war. Thus communication between the two sides, although not yet realised, begins to seem a distinct possibility. The commander of the German troops grows obsessed with the idea of surrendering his battalion to the Americans. His symbolic act, one that speaks for life amidst the machinery of death, is the crucial issue of this powerful story, and the help and hindrances which he encounters in his quest compose a geography of human nature. Andersch creates a sympathetic, compassionate view of people at war coming to terms with their suffering and themselves.