The story is presented as a voiced-over narrative by Arita (Takahiro Tamura), speaking long after the events of the film. In a remote army base in Manchuria, near the Soviet border, long-serving corporal Arita hates the military and looks forward to the day he may leave. Although a university graduate, he has several times deliberately failed the exam for promotion and thus remains a corporal after four years' service.
Yasuzō Masumura
Shintarō Katsu
Masatoshi Tojo
Yasuzō Masumura
Setsuo Kobayashi
Kunihiko Murai
Shintarō Katsu
Kisaburo Omiya
Takahiro Tamura
Arita
Joe Shishido
Michiyo Yasuda
Koichi Ose
Hideji Ōtaki
Jun Takigawa
Teruo Matsuyama
Gorō Kudan
Jun Katsumura
Chikara Hashimoto
Yukio Horikita
... and 7 more
Katsu Production
TOHO