[1] Soldiers Wagner, Paulun and Lick are three friends and the best sharpshooters in a division stationed in Latvia, near the German-Soviet border.
[2] The picture was the first of the "army epics", a new East German genre that reformed the classic German style of portraying military comradeship, replacing the typical tales of military friendship with plots centered on moral dilemmas facing the servicemen.
[3] In addition, the picture was intended as a response to the war films produced in the West at those years.
[5] Although the picture had no chance of winning due to political considerations,[2] it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.
[4] Fühmann's work received considerable attention due to the film, and his books were re-printed.