John Huston's classic film adaptation of the 1895 novel by Stephen Crane about a young man's first experience in war. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War the film ponders the feelings of anxiety and finally outright fear in a boy preparing for battle. Henry (Audie Murphy) loses his illusions of heroism during his first skirmish, and just prior to engaging the enemy for the second time, he deserts the field of combat and enters an idyllic world of the forest. Witnessing his friend's death and receiving an accidental wound from a retreating soldier, Henry comes to terms with realities of warfare.