With his debut novel "The Naked and the Dead," 25-year-old Norman Mailer became an overnight sensation. In 1944, he volunteered as a soldier and fought on the American side in the Pacific. As an eyewitness, he describes the daily life at the front in a journalistic style, capturing all its horrors. More importantly, Mailer focuses on the portrayals of his comrades, their feelings, their fears, and their suffering. This brings them out of anonymity and makes them visible and alive. Alongside the personal story, the central question remains: What goes through the mind of a person who follows orders even to the point of death?.