1915年，面对奥匈帝国的军事优势，塞尔维亚王国国王彼得一世率军民穿过阿尔巴尼亚山区撤退，途中损失惨重

　　1942十二月瑞典面臨大敵入侵。 兩個年輕的士兵離開靠挪威邊界的崗哨，探察納粹的動作。 可惜冒險終究是一場劫難， 他們必須前進敵區拯救他們的同胞。

　　May 1945: the end of the Second World War in the Tyrolean Alps. SS man Anton has deserted and been shot. On the run from his unit, he swaps his SS uniform for that of a dead Wehrmacht soldier and discovers a lonely mountain hut. Hannah, a Jewish woman, is hiding here. She takes Anton in and tends to his wounds.
　　But there is great mistrust between the two. Together they cope with the harsh everyday life in the remote hut. They are looked after by 16-year-old peasant girl Charlotte, whose family pays Hannah not to betray them. And at night, they hear fighting between the German troops and Italian partisans. Over time, a cautious familiarity develops between Anton and Hannah - he, who has done terrible things in the war, she, who has lost her family and has been struggling with fear and loneliness up here in the mountains for months. They grow closer. Hannah finds out that Anton was no ordinary soldier. He was in the SS, a man of conviction, at least at first. Brutal truths come to light. The war is as good as over, but what kind of future awaits them?
　　Georg turns up at the hut: He's been looking for Anton, hunting him down. He was the one who shot Anton - his best friend. Georg is fighting a battle that has long been hopeless, driven by hatred and the will to destroy. And he also wants to kill Hannah. High in the mountains, the decision is made.
　　The Deserter is a story about war and guilt, but also about helpfulness and humanity.