The anti-war novel, first published in 1930, depicts the experiences of student and war volunteer Adolf Reisiger, who fights on the fronts in France and Russia during World War I. Originally setting out as an enthusiastic soldier, he becomes increasingly critical and ultimately realizes that war is the greatest of all crimes. Edlef Köppen employs the latest literary techniques of his time, such as the inner monologue and montage technique, in his literarily ambitious novel: the original documents, often inserted into the fictional narrative without commentary, sharply contrast with the subjective portrayal of the hero and illuminate the absurdity of the official depiction of war. In 1935, the book was banned by the Nazis.