A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.
Lieutenant Maréchal
Elsa
Captain de Boëldieu
Captain von Rauffenstein
Cartier, the Vaudeville Performer
Officer
Sergeant Arthur
Teacher
Lieutenant Demolder
Engineer
Lieutenant Rosenthal
British Officer (uncredited)
Senegalese (uncredited)
Soldier (uncredited)
Prisoner (uncredited)
Maison-Neuve (uncredited)
German Soldier Who Kills Captain de Boëldieu (uncredited)
Officer of the Fortress (uncredited)
Von Rauffenstein's Orderly (uncredited)
Elsa's Daughter (uncredited)
Captain Ringis (uncredited)
(uncredited)
Prussian Officer (uncredited)