In this war comedy, set in Italy during WW I, a man convicted of a crime must join the army in order to recieve a pardon. At the enlistment center, he meets and unsuccessfully attempts to bribe another into deferring him. Later the two men meet again on a transport train and begin to figure out ways of getting out of work. When a hooker hooks the hero's wallet, he winds up fighting a terrible battle on the front lines. Later he and his buddy must return to town to bring back supplies. Neither is anxious to return to the front. While in town, the hero gets his wallet back, and then falls in love with the prostitute. Rather than return to their regiment, the men decide to spend the night in town. The next morining they return to the front to discover that their entire company has been killed. As they are the only survivors, they are considered heroes by the town. Their consciences kick in and they decide to rejoin the war in earnest. They are assigned a dangerous mission to deliver an message. En route they are captured by the Austrians and interrogated. The men refuse to talk and they are killed. When they never return, their commanding officer assumes that they are again shirking their duties.