Venturing into some of the roughest slums of St. Louis, Jesuit priest Rev. Charles Dismas Clark dedicates himself to helping young ex-convicts who are struggling to rejoin a society that fears and rejects them. An especially wrenching case for the Reverend is Billy Lee Jackson, a troubled thief whose personal demons constantly tempt him back to a life of crime — and may ultimately make him pay the highest price for a few desperate decisions.

　　二次大战期间，美国军官罗岩（弗兰克·辛纳特拉 Frank Sinatra 饰）被俘虏并困于意大利的一个战俘营，营内生活苦不堪言。机智及决断的他决定策划一次逃亡计划，遂率领营内众英藉战俘潜进驶往瑞士的火车逃亡。他们乔装易服来瞒骗纳粹党军以通过关卡，闪避空军飞弹，为的是生存和自由。 　　本片在意大利实地取景，运用细腻的手法拍摄，布下重重伏线，以营造出紧张惊险的战争动作场面。压轴的火车逃亡场面成为全片高潮。