Richthofen goes off to war like thousands of other men. As fighter pilots, they become cult heroes for the soldiers on the battlefields. Marked by sportsmanlike conduct, technical exactitude and knightly propriety, they have their own code of honour. Before long he begins to understand that his hero status is deceptive. His love for Kate, a nurse, opens his eyes to the brutality of war.
Tomas, a 14-year-old boy lives beneath the castle of the powerful Lord Balador. The boy is able to communicate with animals, and he tries to obtain the royal falcon – a symbol of freedom and faith. He also falls in love with Balador's daughter Formina, a girl who is to be married off against her will.
