During World War II, a Japanese boy named Kyota volunteers for the army. He is sent to Manchuria along with other boys who have become soldiers, part of a class of young volunteers who end up stranded there. When the Soviet-Japanese War erupts, Kyota's unit falls back, and a group of Japanese civilians later joins them. From there, soldiers and civilians set out together on a long journey across Manchuria. The wartime drama centers on children caught up in the war effort.