The film is adapted from the classic novel of the same name written by Erich Maria Remarque. It tells the story of Paul Baumann and his classmates Lyle and Miller who joined the German National Volunteer Army and were sent to the front to fight the French army during World War I. On the battlefield, they witnessed cruel hunger, blood and death. The absurdity and ruthlessness of war made Paul go from being obsessed with war to being discouraged.