故事发生在第二次世界大战期间,美国军官莱恩(弗兰克·辛纳特拉 Frank Sinatra 饰)成为了德军的俘虏关进了位于意大利的战俘营中,除了莱恩外,这里还关押了六百多名英国战俘。莱恩的智慧和善良很快就得到了战俘们的拥簇,他成为了营地里首当其冲的“领导人”。
营地里的生活充满了痛苦与压迫,随着时间的推移,为了生存,大家的内心里开始打起了逃跑的念头。可是,德军戒备森严,想要逃出生天又谈何容易,俘虏们将目光和希望寄托在了莱恩的身上。背负着大家的信任,莱恩能够完成这项几乎不可能完成的任务吗?要知道,计划一旦失败,他们所要面临的结局只有一个,那就是死亡。
May 1945: the end of the Second World War in the Tyrolean Alps. SS man Anton has deserted and been shot. On the run from his unit, he swaps his SS uniform for that of a dead Wehrmacht soldier and discovers a lonely mountain hut. Hannah, a Jewish woman, is hiding here. She takes Anton in and tends to his wounds.
But there is great mistrust between the two. Together they cope with the harsh everyday life in the remote hut. They are looked after by 16-year-old peasant girl Charlotte, whose family pays Hannah not to betray them. And at night, they hear fighting between the German troops and Italian partisans. Over time, a cautious familiarity develops between Anton and Hannah - he, who has done terrible things in the war, she, who has lost her family and has been struggling with fear and loneliness up here in the mountains for months. They grow closer. Hannah finds out that Anton was no ordinary soldier. He was in the SS, a man of conviction, at least at first. Brutal truths come to light. The war is as good as over, but what kind of future awaits them?
Georg turns up at the hut: He's been looking for Anton, hunting him down. He was the one who shot Anton - his best friend. Georg is fighting a battle that has long been hopeless, driven by hatred and the will to destroy. And he also wants to kill Hannah. High in the mountains, the decision is made.
The Deserter is a story about war and guilt, but also about helpfulness and humanity.