A military lawyer defends three soldiers accused of raping a girl in occupied Germany.

In the small German town of Neustadt, 16-year-old Karin Steinhof is brutally raped by four drunken GI's from the U. S. occupation forces. Outraged, the girl's father and the bürgermeister demand that the military impose the death penalty, a verdict possible only if Karin takes the stand to testify. The defense counsel, Maj. Steve Garrett, warns Karin's father that he will do all in his legal power to save the men's lives, even if it means subjecting Karin to vicious cross-examination and destroying her reputation. Herr Steinhof remains adamant in his determination to have revenge, however, and he insists that Karin testify. At the trial, Garrett uses the testimonies of vindictive witnesses to establish Karin as a tease who enjoyed exposing her naked body. He then calls her to the stand and ruthlessly badgers and taunts the girl with the implication that when the soldiers first saw her she was standing nude in the hope of exciting her boyfriend. Unable to bear the ordeal, Karin collapses before completing her testimony. Since the death penalty cannot now be imposed, the four men receive long prison sentences. As an ashamed Garrett prepares to leave the court, he learns that Karin has committed suicide after being ridiculed by the townspeople. Shunned by his fellow officers and the local citizenry, Garrett packs his briefcase and leaves Neustadt.