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In
July of 1944, a month after D-Day, a small squad of American
soldiers make their way through the deadly battlefields of Normandy,
part of the attempt by the Allied forces to re-claim France. Led by
Sergeant Walker, the men are weary, and anything but unified.
Cynical Private Joe Faraday takes bets on how many casualties there
will be at the end of each day. Private Eddie Rourke, full of
optimism, is constantly at odds with Joe. Privates Nick Dante and
Homer Stucky comprise the rest of the squad. Monica, on a Search and
Rescue mission, watches over the men unseen. Through a flashback, we
learn that the feud between Eddie and Joe began several months
earlier, in an Allied canteen. Joe is upset to find Eddie dancing
with Stella, a USO hostess whom Joe considers his girl. Stella isn't
interested in Joe and tries to let him down easy. Tess, a USO
singer, tells Monica that she is assigned to Joe, that she must help
him decide to become a hero. Back on the battlefield as the combat
quiets down, the squad discovers Monica comforting a dying German
soldier and they take her prisoner. Just then, Sergeant Walker is
shot and dies. The squad holds Monica partially responsible, and Joe
wants to execute her, but cooler heads prevail. Homer, in a panic,
tries to radio HQ, but accidentally uses a German radio revealing
their position. Knowing that they are now sitting ducks, Monica
encourages the men to write letters to their loved ones, and to make
a pact that whoever survives will deliver them. All agree except for
Joe, who recalls the night in the canteen when, rejected by Stella,
he tries to hit Eddie, but Eddie knocks him down first. At this
moment the air raid sirens sound, signaling for everyone to take
cover. As the crowds gather in the London underground , Joe meets a
small boy named Rupert, with a birdcage, who is lost. Joe is shaken
out of this memory by the news that a German tank is approaching.
Monica prays, but Homer and Nick fall, and Eddie is wounded. Monica
and Joe help Eddie to a farmhouse where he realizes that they left
the letters behind. He pleads with Joe to find them, but Joe
refuses. Eddie tells Joe that he and Stella were married the night
before they shipped out, but Joe tells Eddie that Stella married him
too, so that she could cash his paycheck. Monica slaps Joe for the
lie and reveals herself to Eddie, telling him the truth before he
dies. Later, Monica reveals herself to Joe, telling him that God
loves him, but that his moral compass is broken. She tells him about
the greatest love -- laying down your life for your friends. Joe
goes to find the letters and, instead, finds Andrew digging graves
for the dead
soldiers, and Andrew gives him the letters. When he brings them back
to Monica, she promises to deliver them. Joe admits that he feels
like he's finally done something important. As he rejoices, he is
shot by a German soldier. As he dies, Monica helps him compose a
letter to Rupert. Joe writes that he fought this war for him, and
for the generations to follow. Fifty years later, Monica enters a
small London pet shop and comments on its beautiful birdcage. The
old proprietor, Rupert, tells her the story of the birdcage, and
shows her a framed letter from a soldier, the letter from Joe.
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