As the 1914 summer sun heats up mainland Europe, World War One crashes down across the fractured peninsula. Living in Paris, Arthur Knaap yearns to serve, protect and defend his beloved nation and joins the Foreign Legion. Before long, Arthur is plunged into the cold, consuming darkness of frontline trench warfare. As the men who stand beside him lose their limbs, their friends and their hope, the true horror of the conflict refuses to abate. With the sunlight diminishing on the western front, the receipt of devastating news spurs Arthur to make a decision that will change the course of his war, and his life, forever.