England, August 1943.  The tide of WW II is finally turning in the Allies favor, and the American air war against Germany is escalating in both scope and ferocity.  Against this background, a highly decorated U.S. fighter pilot, Major Markham, is charged with shooting down one of his own men. Army lawyer Harry Voss is tasked with investigating the case but is stymied not by Markham trying to conceal his guilt, but by his too eager confession. Although the Army is happy to see an embarrassing incident quickly closed, Voss continues to probe suspecting Markham has confessed to one crime in order to conceal an even greater, more horrifying one; one that will send tremors up to the highest levels of the military.