A dramatized reconstruction of events in restless Afgna province Kunduz, in 2009, and the ensuing trial of the German NATO contingent commander, colonel Klein. After the tragic loss of private Sergej Motz, son of a Russian Afganistan veteran, and two patrol mates in an ambush, tension culminates and rules of engagement are sharpened, almost discretionary. The governor, who loses a brother to the Taliban, complains the Germans act cowardly. A relatively trustworthy informer gives the whereabouts of two fuel tankers stolen by the Taliban and the presence there of the local insurgents leaders. By the time bombing from the air is authorized, the rebels have left and only citizens, coming to collect fuel leaking from the river-stuck trucks, are hit.