In the midst of WWII, a soldier plagued by both wounds and a disturbed mind, takes the priest who attempts to aid him captive. His subsequent plan to desert with the clergyman seems ingenious, until the two find themselves stranded in the arid expanse of the African desert. Their supplies dwindling, the soldier's grip on sanity and morality rapidly slip away, leaving only carnal passions and unrelenting anguish. Ultimately, their grim fate may be a final surrender to death.