It is December 1944 and a detachment of American soldiers has been assigned to guard and ancient castle in Belgium inhabited by an elderly aristocrat, his young wife, and countless valuable artefacts. The soldiers are waiting out the war - indulging in various hobbies, exploring the castle's excesses (including a replica of Venice complete with canals and gondolas), in other words, trying to do something other than fight in the war - until a German counterattack puts them firmly back in the fray. As the American soldiers find themselves caught up in the snow and carnage of Hitler's Ardennes offensive, the war begins to take on a hallucinatory quality which leaves many of the men reeling.