Baron Manfred von Richthofen is the most feared and celebrated pilot of the Imperial German Air Service in World War I. To him and his companions, air combats are events of sporty nature, technical challenge and honorable acting, ignoring the terrible extent of war. But after being wounded in action, he falls in love with the nurse Käte and realizes he is only being manipulated for propaganda. Torn between his disgust for the war and his duty to his men, von Richthofen sets out to fly again.