故事讲述第二次世界大战结束时波兰起义抵抗德国占领的故事
Having been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith (Eddie Bracken) delays the return to his hometown, feeling that he is a failure. While in a moment of melancholy, he meets up with a group of Marines who befriend him and encourage him to return home to his mother by fabricating a story that he was wounded in battle with honorable discharge. They make him wear a uniform complete with medals and is pushed by his new friends into accepting a Hero's welcome when he gets home where he is to be immortalized by a statue that he doesn't want, has songs written about his heroic battle stories, and ends up unwillingly running for mayor. Despite his best efforts to explain the truth, no one will listen.
1941年第二次世界大战肆虐时期，德国纳粹入侵苏联。在经历长达4个月的攻坚战无果后，希特勒决定用饥饿和围困的方式夺取列宁格勒。纳粹围城三年，尸横遍野的列宁格勒成为一座死亡之城。 英国女记者凯特·戴维斯（米拉·索维诺 Mira Sorvino 饰）在前线采访时，与她的爱人美国记者菲利普·帕克（加布里埃尔·伯恩 Gabriel Byrne 饰）失散，被困列宁格勒。孤立无援的凯特幸得列宁格勒义勇军女警妮娜（欧嘉·苏图洛娃 Olga Sutulova 饰）的帮助与庇护。两人坚守在冰天雪地的战火之中，与饱受饥饿折磨的苏联军民一起，为生存而战。
1944年，第二次世界大战接近尾声，包括日本在内的轴心国在世界各地已成强弩之末。为了阻止美国等同盟国的军队在菲律宾登陆，日本方面采取极端的作战手段，海军中将大西泷治郎（伊武雅刀 饰）宣布组建神风特攻队向美国军舰发起疯狂的自杀式袭击。然而时不我予，成百上千年轻战士的生命也 无法挽回败局。1945年春，美军以菲律宾为跳板，准备向日本的军事要害冲绳发动攻击。 适值此时，位于鹿儿岛的知览机场已经成为培养自杀式袭击人员的重要基地，包括坂东胜次（窪塚洋介 饰）、田端广一（筒井道隆 饰）在内的439名振武队年轻士兵在此集训。这群热血青年在基地度过人生中最后快乐、珍贵的时光……
