The story of the dark inner struggle of Master Sergeant Albert Callan (Rod Steiger) to overcome the overwhelming attraction he feels for one of his charges. In the staid and stifling environment of a post-World War II US Army post in France, Callan's deeply repressed attraction to other men surfaces when he encounters handsome Private First Class Tom Swanson (John Phillip Law). Maintaining the rugged "man's man" image of a war hero, Callan barks orders to his underlings. Later ― lonely in his solitude ― he recalls the frightening experiences of war and the events that led to this crossroads. Filled with self-loathing and unable to act on the natural attraction he feels for Swanson, Callan's affection festers into antagonism. He pushes Swanson constantly with verbal assaults and undeserved punishments. Oblivious to Callan's attraction to him, Swanson comes finally to feel enmity for his Master Sergeant.