In the 1940s, the roar of fighter planes overhead signals the onset of war. As merciless flames of battle descend, what will become of the bewildered youths at Taihoku High School? Their school is renowned for its spirit of intellectual freedom, and they arrive dreaming of a luminous future. Yet once war begins, that freedom is stripped away, and one by one, students are conscripted and sent to the battlefield.
Nekono, a student who loves literature, arrives at Taihoku High School expecting to find joy and growth. But this hope is swiftly shattered when war breaks out. His roommate and friend, Inuyama, is sent to the front lines in the Philippines, while his classmate Mikawa narrowly escapes death during an air raid. Gradually, Nekono comes to understand the true terror of war.