Director Claire Denis' intensely physical study of tensions within a platoon of legionnaires stationed in North Africa. Fearing for his position within the group, Sergeant-Major Galoup (Denis Lavant) is growing increasingly jealous of the popular new recruit Sentain (Grégoire Colin) and decides to bring about his downfall. Eventually, when the platoon have left on a series of exercises, Galoup manages to provoke Sentain into a direct confrontation.