This magnificent anti-war drama set in WW1, one of the most expensive Serbian films ever, describes Serbian mentality and history in a metaphorical way using complex sets, stunning landscapes, flawless costumes and make up, rich cinematography, emotional music scores, profound acting and a haunting conclusion at the end of the movie. The movie starts with a battle against the Turks during the First Balkan War in 1912 and ends with the outbreak of WWI in 1914 and the crucial Battle of Cer, the first allied victory in WWI. It is largely set in and around a small village at Serbia's border with Austria-Hungary. The village is divided between able-bodied men that are potential army recruits and the many invalid veterans from the previous wars and there is bitter animosity between the two groups, which don't intermingle much with each other even though they live in the same village.
The central theme of the movie is a love triangle between the village gendarme Đorđe, his wife Katarina and the young war cripple Gavrilo who once had a love affair with Katarina before he went to war and lost his arm in battle. Even though Katarina married Đorđe in the meantime, she still has affection for Gavrilo, which is a source of friction between the two.
On the onset of World War I, all able-bodied men in the village are recruited for combat. Left in the village are only women, children and invalids from previous wars. Rumours start circulating that the invalids in the village are trying to take advantage of the situation by making their moves on the women in the village - the wives and sisters of the recruited men. These rumours reach the villagers at the frontlines, and in order to prevent mutiny the army staff decides to recruit the invalids as well and send them to the front line.
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