A young American volunteers for the Italian ambulance in the First World War. Up near the front he meets and falls in love with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Amidst the fear, chaos, comradeship and courage, his wartime experi-ence becomes one of intense disillusionment when he is wounded by a shell and later narrowly escapes being shot by the Italian ?battle police? while taking part in a general retreat. He makes the monumental decision to desert ? and takes Catherine with him to Switzerl ...