Italian resistance fighters engaged in bloody conflict against the Nazis in the four days preceding the arrival of Allied troops in Italy. Chaos reigns as the Germans pull away and loyalties are divided in the minds of the general populace. This is a rather historically inaccurate account as the Italians willingly surrendered to the Allies only in the wake of the Nazi army withdrawal. Although this effort is a gripping war film that captures the confusion and brutality of war, it is another transparent attempt by the Italian filmmakers to disavow their collaborations with the Nazis during World War II.