Corporal Somerville dies from mustard gas exposure in a wartime hospital. He and his ailing comrades know death is coming, and they embrace the inevitable as nurses scurry around them. Private Terwilliger is shot through his cheeks while keeping post. He recovers with intense scarring that ends up looking like dimples on his face. He marries when he returns home. One night while having company over to play bridge, a woman compliments his “God-given dimples.” Terwilliger and his wife double over in laughter. Frustrated with the sickly filth of his quarters, Lieutenant Frankel plans to commit suicide. On a whim, he opens a fellow soldier's magazine and sees a photo of a beautiful actress. He carries it with him through the war and makes it home. Corporal Jourdan was a gifted violinist before he went off to war. When it ends, he returns to Alabama and starts a paint company. He meets an old friend who is surprised that he gave up music. After some pressing, Jourdan is forced to show his mangled hand to his friend. Private Anderson begs for some heavily rationed morphine in a hectic wartime hospital. The doctors tease him for his fragility, but they finally administer him some to quell his complaints. Sergeant Crenshaw returns home to vibrant fanfare, and he is hailed as a hero for his bravery. With few career options, Crenshaw decides to open a chicken farm. He asks for a loan, but his request is denied. With no financial options, he realizes that the praise was just talk. Jesus Christ appears to Private Romano on the battlefield. Christ says that he is powerless to stop the carnage. Romano and Christ sob together. Private Dresser receives numerous high honors for his courage in battle. When he returns home, people can’t quite believe that such a soft-spoken man was a strong soldier. Private Calhoun is crushed to death under rubble after a bombing. Corporal Keith returns to the US after witnessing the horrors of battle and starts an anti-war society. Then, a military recruitment office opens up in his town. In an ironic twist, the organization’s members eagerly enlist in order to protect their community from violence. Sergeant Howie meets a beautiful woman at a party in Europe. He vows never to forget her, but after returning to America and getting married, he doesn’t even remember her face. Sergeant Mooney brutally kills a German soldier.  Corporal Virtue receives enlightenment on the battlefield, but doctors misinterpret his fervor and send him to an asylum. He begs the guards to see his version of reality, but they are indifferent.  Sergeant Hart sees a German soldier who is reaching into his pocket, and he shoots him. Once he’s dead, Hart goes to see what he was pulling out. It’s a picture of a little girl—probably his daughter. Private Citron finds a scrap of a letter and wonders about the person who wrote it. He keeps it all his life, hoping to run into the intended recipient.