1917

Other Staff Officers *

• Character: *A mixture of tension and routine: accustomed to a stream of bad news, they try to remain calm and methodical, lest they lose control. Some talk quietly, some stare silently at a map, some make notes with hands shaking from fatigue.
• Appearance: *Men of various ages, from young lieutenants to mature colonels; all bear the imprint of constant stress - tense shoulders, clenched jaws, quick, nervous glances.
• Clothing: *Staff and field uniforms with different insignia; generally neater and cleaner than those of soldiers on the front lines.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: From 25 to 50 years old (spread throughout the group).

Major (a staff officer coordinating the actions of units) *

• Character: *collected, used to thinking in terms of battalions and kilometers, not individuals. Speaks briefly, formulates tasks clearly, does not like unnecessary questions. At the same time, he is not insensitive - it is just that his empathy is expressed in minimizing losses, and not in words.
• Appearance: *a middle-aged man, reserved, with attentive, slightly narrowed eyes; posture is upright, movements are measured.
• Clothing: *staff uniform with noticeable insignia of high rank; looks neater than those who are constantly on the front lines.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: approximately 40-45 years old.

Privates from the trenches (a group of soldiers in one section of the route) *

• Character: *various shades of fatigue: some try to remain cheerful and joke, so as not to go crazy; some are withdrawn and silent, as if saving their strength even on words; some twitch nervously at every loud sound. They have one thing in common - an accustomed to danger and a readiness to act on command.
• Appearance: *young men with haggard faces; some have red eyes from lack of sleep, others have hands covered in scratches and abrasions; facial features erased by constant fatigue.
• Clothing: *very worn and dirty field uniform of privates; patched in places, burnt in others; equipment is simple, often adjusted "to suit themselves".
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: mostly 18-25 years old.

Sergeant (selecting candidates for urgent assignments) *

• Personality: *rude, but fair; knows the value of every minute and every person. Not prone to sentimentality, but able to quickly understand who can handle the workload and who can't. His decisions are based on experience and the understanding that in war there is no dragging it out.
• Appearance: *stocky, strong, with a weathered face and a heavy, assessing gaze; movements are economical, without unnecessary fuss.
• Clothing: *worn sergeant's field uniform, patched in places; equipment is adjusted so that nothing gets in the way or jingles.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: approximately 30-35 years old.

Lieutenant (an officer from the intermediate unit who meets liaisons) *

• Character: *young, but tries to appear confident; inside, he is very tense, because he is used to a rigid hierarchy and is afraid of making a mistake in a critical situation. He quickly assesses the situation and acts according to instructions, but concern for the people is visible in his eyes.
• Appearance: *thin, facial features are still youthful, but his posture is already "military" - a straight back, collected movements.
• Clothing: *lieutenant's uniform, wrinkled in places, with dirt stains; rank insignia are neat, but not conspicuous.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: approximately 23-27 years old.

Captain (one of the staff officers on the route) *

• Character: *Tough, pragmatic, used to giving orders and not wasting words. In conditions of time pressure and losses, he clings to the regulations and discipline as a support - this is his way of not breaking. He may seem callous, but behind it lies colossal tension.
• Appearance: *A mature man, fit, with a short haircut; a direct, slightly tired gaze, as if he has not slept for a long time.
• Clothing: *A captain's field uniform, clean compared to soldiers on the front lines, but no longer a dress uniform - with noticeable traces of frontline dust and haste.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: approximately 35-40 years old.

A young woman from a ruined village *

• Personality: *quiet, frightened, but unbroken; tries to protect what is most precious to her. Her demeanor is cautious, bordering on mistrust, and she is rarely, if ever, grateful for any help.
• Appearance: *fragile, with a haggard face; her hair is carelessly pulled back, her gaze constantly gliding around, searching for danger.
• Clothing: *simple, worn civilian clothes, patched in places; she looks as if she hasn't changed them for a long time and hasn't had the opportunity to do so.
• Nationality: *French.
• Age: approximately 18-20 years old.

Officers on the route (captain, lieutenant, sergeant) *

• Personality: *various shades of the same wartime type: some are extremely collected and dry, some try to remain calm, hiding their tension, some are already tired of endless orders and losses. They all act within the framework of regulations and circumstances, having no right to long reflection.
• Appearance: *men of various ages, from young officers to more mature ones; all bear the stamp of the front - fatigue, wariness, a habit of being prepared for the worst.
• Clothing: *standard British field uniform with appropriate insignia; some have more signs of dirt and wear, some less.
• Nationality: British.

Lieutenant, older brother of one of the corporals *

• Character: *a disciplined officer, aware of the value of every order; internally tense, because he feels responsible for his men. In the end, deep fatigue and a willingness to accept the bitter truth appear in him.
• Appearance: *a young officer with features reminiscent of his brother; in his eyes - a mixture of determination and anxiety.
• Clothing: *lieutenant's uniform, practical, without frills; wrinkled in places, but overall neat.
• Nationality: British.

Colonel, Battalion Commander *

• Personality: *Collected, accustomed to relying on intelligence and his own assessment of the situation; initially skeptical of sudden orders from headquarters. Capable of making difficult decisions quickly when the evidence becomes indisputable.
• Appearance: *Middle-aged man, with stern, strong-willed features; direct, assessing gaze.
• Clothing: *Colonel's field uniform, neat but not dressy; rank insignia visible, but not flashy.
• Nationality: British.

General Commanding the Army *

• Character: *Stern, accustomed to responsibility for thousands of lives; speaks briefly and to the point. His decision to send two soldiers reveals both calculation and an understanding of the risk—he is choosing the only possible option.
• Appearance: *A mature man, dignified, with tired but attentive eyes; his movements are restrained and measured.
• Clothing: *Staff military uniform with orders and insignia of high rank; looks neat compared to the front-line soldiers.
• Nationality: British.

Lance Corporal Tom Blake *

• Personality: *More open and emotional than his partner; manages to maintain humanity even in the hell of the front - tells stories, tries to cheer him up. His motivation is deeply personal: he is ready to do anything to save his brother. He has a lot of energy and belief that even in war there is a place for the right thing to do.
• Appearance: *A young man with lively, slightly naive features; there is hope in his gaze, which gradually fades as the reality of the front becomes more and more merciless.
• Clothing: *The same worn field uniform as his partner; patched in places, with stains from rain and mud.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: About the same age as Schofield.

Lance Corporal Will Schofield *

• Personality: *reserved, pragmatic, prone to calculated risks. At first, he tries to act cautiously - insisting on moving in the dark and avoiding unnecessary risks. After the tragedy, he becomes more decisive: a sense of duty and a desire to honor the memory of a comrade push him forward, even when his strength is waning. He has an internal weariness of war, but he does not allow it to paralyze him.
• Appearance: *a young man, facial features are expressionless and ordinary, as if erased by frontline routine; his eyes betray constant tension.
• Clothing: *a worn British military lance corporal uniform, thickly covered in dirt and soot; equipment is simple and functional, without unnecessary details.
• Nationality: *British.
• Age: approximately 20-22 years old.

• *British trenches. *Cramped, winding, permeated with damp and the smell of earth. The walls are reinforced with planks and sandbags; evidence of hasty construction and constant repairs is everywhere. A tense silence reigns here between the shelling and a busy bustle: soldiers prepare for the next stage, check their equipment, await orders.
• No man's land. *The space between the front lines has been transformed into a death strip: barbed wire, shell pits, the remains of obstacles, scattered belongings, and traces of battle. Here, every step is dangerous, and any mistake can cost lives. The atmosphere is tense to the extreme, with the feeling that danger can appear from any shadow.
• Abandoned German trenches. *More neat and thoughtful in design than the British ones, but now empty and ominous. They feel the enemy's recent presence: abandoned objects, traces of a hasty retreat, traps. One must navigate them with extreme caution.
• Destroyed villages. *Houses with broken roofs, shattered windows, and charred walls. Streets are littered with rubble, and the silence seems unnatural. In such places, heroes seek shelter and simultaneously fear ambushes or collapses.
• Frontline areas and fields. *Open spaces where there is nowhere to hide from fire and observation. The wind blows dust and ash, the sky is low and gray. Here, vulnerability and loneliness are especially acute.
• A river with rapids and a waterfall. One of the most dangerous sections of the journey: a turbulent current, slippery rocks, the roar of water that drowns out all other sounds. Crossing the river is a physical and psychological test, where the slightest mistake threatens death.

The action takes place in April 1917 on the Western Front. Intelligence reveals that the German retreat is not a defeat, but a strategic maneuver: the enemy has retreated to a fortified line to lure the advancing British units into a trap. If the offensive continues, hundreds of soldiers will die, including the loved ones of one of the mission's perpetrators.

Command tasks two lance corporals with delivering an urgent message to the battalion commander and calling off the offensive. Due to damaged communication lines, the only way to convey the order is to deliver it in person. The heroes set out through dangerous territory, where every meter can prove fatal.

Along the route, they face constant threats: mines, enemy patrols, shelling, destroyed areas, and natural obstacles. At one point, one of the corporals dies, and the other continues the mission alone. He crosses a river, helps a local woman, encounters danger again, and, despite exhaustion, does not stop.