A shocking insight into the realities of war, the conditions endured by ordinary soldiers and their unwavering solidarity.

It was supposed to be Hitler''s glorious conquest of Russia...

The 27th Penal Regiment has been ordered to invade the Soviet Union. They are half-starved and ill-equipped. To reach Moscow they must defeat the fearsome Red Army.

But instead, they find themselves at the mercy of an even deadlier enemy: the killer cold of the Russian winter.

As they advance across the icy wastes, they think only of survival.