Cologne, near the conclusion of World War II, was a bustling metropolis. The city is in ruins, everyone is terrified, and many people have died. It is a period of extreme inhumanity at the moment. The young Edelweiss Pirates of Cologne are defiant in the face of Nazi pressure and refuse to succumb. They fight with the Hitler Youth and scribble anti-war messages on the walls of their surroundings. Karl is a member of the Edelweiss Pirates, while his younger brother, Peter, is a member of the Nazi Youth organisation. Having lost their mother in a bombing strike, the two young men have been living alone ever since. Their father has been called to active duty in the war zone and their older brother Otto has been killed in action. Cilly, Otto's fiancée, is doing everything she can to keep her children alive during the war. Carl is attempting to assist her.