In a sweltering summer of 1863, the American Civil War reaches its climax in a small town in Pennsylvania, where one of the bloodiest battles in history unfolds. The conflict between the Union forces and the Confederate Army led by General Robert E. Lee not only jeopardized the future of the nation but also the ideals of liberty and unity. With a particularly realistic approach for its time, the film captures the tensions experienced between soldiers and their families, who cannot ignore the roar of cannon fire and the cries of the wounded.