The 1st of August 1914. In Germany, war has just been declared against Russia. For the brothers Hannes und Helmut in the Hussars, the start of the hostilities played out almost like a tour with friends across the Belgian and French countryside. Hannes writes a diary; "Brothers and Comrades", in which he comments that, "As long as we're always successful, I think it's a lot of fun", and when the Eiffel Tower appears in the distance, he enthuses, "How wonderful it is to be part of it and be allowed to experience all of this". The young Hussars worry more about where to requisition and open the next bottle of wine the next night than dying.
All goes well, and they believe that they will be home by Christmas – until the allied counter-attacks become more intense, the deaths in the ranks of the Hussars more frequent, riding along the streets of Paris a distant dream.
Then one day in October, under extremely heavy artillery fire, a shell explodes... it is the end of their youth.