"A highly intelligent spectacular…executed with pace and imagination." -British Monthly Film Bulletin.

After a brilliant career with the U.S. army, WWII hero and Jewish American Mickey Marcus (Kirk Douglas) is called to the new state of Israel to build an army capable of withstanding its Arab foes. Against the wishes of his wife (Angie Dickinson), Mickey makes the journey and begins transforming a rag-tag underground army into a first-class fighting machine. But as the threat of war looms, Mickey must also confront his growing attraction to beautiful activist Magda Simon (Senta Berger).