April 6, 1917, a place in northern France and two young British soldiers are called in for a very important mission. The German army retreated from the Western Front to a defensive position called the Hindenberg Line. Airborne reconnaissance determined that this move of troops was a tactical retreat, not a retreat, and their new position was greatly strengthened by artillery. To run after them would actually be to fall into a trap. The problem is that a British battalion is preparing an attack without this information, and communication with them has been lost. The only hope is that the two messengers will cross No Man’s Land and give the order to retreat.
The two men selected for the mission, Lance Corporal William Schofield (George MacKay), a veteran Battle of the Sommeand Lance Corporal Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), who has the extra encouragement since his brother is among the soldiers preparing to reach the top. They’re about the same age, but their perspectives are dramatically different: Schofield is emotionally withdrawn, scarred from his experiences in the brutal war that probably killed more than a million people, while Blake is bolder and more extroverted.
Schofield and Blake encounter many dangers on their perilous journey through the devastated wasteland: booby traps, snipers, enemy troops, and a German pilot who fatally stabs Blake after rescuing him from a burning plane. Encouraged by his friend’s death, Schofield arrives at the front line just as 1600 men are about to attack the German trenches. Can he deliver the message with just a few minutes and save hundreds of lives?