Plot

The story unfolds over a single horrifying night - six soldiers lost in the wicked, burning woods during the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. When the morning sun rises, it exposes an incredible new danger.

During the 1864 battle of the Wilderness, three Union soldiers and three Confederate Soldiers get separated from their units as twilight engulfs the ravaged battlefield. The men wander alone through the dangerous woods, separate of each other, until they meet by chance on the banks of a quiet creek. The men meet and spend the night around a campfire, not realizing they are enemies until the next morning when the sun rises and a new day of battle begins.—Kevin R. Hershberger

The film opens presumably in 1861 (at the beginning of the Civil War) both of the main characters are with their families, and are preparing to go off and fight for there cause. This opening scene continues for about 10 or more minutes, with nothing but the original music of the film, and is seen through a filter, hinting that these are memories of the soldiers. After the opening scene you are brought to the year 1864. There is an intense combat sequence in which Harrison (the main confederate character) struggles to survive, and meets a gruff experienced soldier. The camera cuts around showing the confusion and intensity of combat, but soon we are back with Harrison. Slowly darkness engulfs the bullet ridden battlefield and Harrison and his fellow soldier run away from the fighting. (Throughout the next scenes the screen is almost completely dark, With only fire illuminating the frames) Harrison and his companion find another soldier hiding in the brush, there is a brief conversation and they agree to let him tag along. You are then introduced to 2 union soldiers carrying there injured companion. You know one of these men from the opening sequence. They stumble blindly through the darkness until their wounded friend has pains. They stop behind a rock and the confederate soldiers hear them. After a brief conversation they agree to meet. The two sides then come face to face in the darkness and create a campfire. The soldiers talk about home, and share food with each other, until everyone but Harrison and his union counterpart are the only two still awake. The two small talk, and exchange pictures of their family's, and we soon learn that Harrison does not know how to read. The union soldier offers to read the letters out loud that Harrison had kept in his coat throughout the war. Harrison execepts, and there is a montage scene with original violin music in which the union soldier reads Harrison's letters to him. We find out that Harrison's sweetheart may have died of the flu, and after the two shake each other's hands, the night closes out on a somber note. That morning the experienced Confederate soldier wakes up and realizes that the men they have shared the campfire with are union soldiers. He wakes them up with a gun pointed at the face, and a kick to the stomach, and tells them to get up. Harrison does not approve of this, but he follows them as they guide the soldiers back towards the confederate lines as prisoners of war. They stop in a densely wooded area when the wounded Union soldier groans. The experienced confederate soldier tells them to drop the wounded soldier and continue on. After much yelling the Union soldier tells the Confederate to just shoot them if they are slowing him down. This triggers Harrison who steals the experienced confederate soldier's gun and tells the other confederate to drop his (which he does.) They then notice that the battle lines of the two opposing sides are closing in, and that they are in the middle of the battlefield! They all take cover and shots are exchanged by the skirmishers of both sides. The experienced soldier and the union soldier engage in fisticuffs and both are very bloody as shots from the skirmishes hit the ground near them, Harrison knocks the experienced soldier to the ground to the ground, but he has soon been hit! The experienced soldier takes this chance to continue the fight, but this fight soon ceases as the battle lines are almost on top of the soldier's now! Harrison and the union soldier help each other up as the two sides are almost ready to fire. The union officer gives the order to hold fire, but the confederate officers tells his men to prepare to fire anyway, and the screen turns black. You see the two sides fire a volley at each other and you then see the bodies of all of the men. And as the music plays and you stare at the men's lifeless body's you contemplate what you have experienced.