The story follows German soldier Jürgen Sack as the Germans are retreating toward Kiev under what appears to be a Soviet counterattack, although Sack and his comrades refer to "Asiatics". Through the course of the story Sack runs into Scandinavian volunteers who are equally concerned about the retreat in the face of the "Red Asiatic flood." This is another early hint that things are not what the appear: while the story refers to an initial eastern drive in '41, suggesting that this is set during World War II, the relationship between the Scandinavians and Germans is far too friendly, and there are no mentions of Hitler or Nazis. There is also a reference to Deutschemarks, the post-1948 German currency, rather than Reichsmarks which would be correct for a WWII setting. (The Euro was just be