Near Ratekau, near Lübeck, the popular old marshal Blücher, a veritable warhorse, had to capitulate to the overwhelming enemy because he ran out of food and ammunition.

In several fiery letters to his king, the aged marshal urges Friedrich Wilhelm not to accept the fate imposed on his country by Napoleon.

The choleric Corsican emperor gets wind of it and forces the Prussian king to finally send Blücher into retirement.

When Napoleon's fortunes reverse and his armies get stuck in the endless expanses of Russia, the aged Blücher feels a new impetus.

In particular, the Prussian-Russian agreement of 1812 known as the Tauroggen Convention means that France can no longer rely on Prussian units serving as auxiliaries.

Blücher, now appointed by the king to head the Prussian army, rallies his followers around him and a new strategy for defeating Napoleon is discussed.