In May 1978, the mining town of Kolwezi in Katanga, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Belgian Congo) is under attack from a group of communist guerillas coming from nearby Angola. The Europeans who work for the Belgian mining company and the Blacks who live in the town are taken as hostages by the invaders, who start a blood bath, shooting Europeans as well as Africans. Many of the Europeans being French, the French decide to organize a counter-attack, and to send a Regiment of Paratroopers from the Foreign Legion. The movie follows the stories of Delbart, a former non-commissioned officer, who was about to go back to France with his African wife and his child, Damrémont, who was Delbart's replacement, Bia, a Zairian doctor, and Annie, an American married to a Belgian engineer as well as Non com Legion officer Federico and the French Ambassador and the Military Attaché.
Bruno Cremer
as Pierre Delbart
Mimsy Farmer
as Annie
Jacques Perrin
as L'ambassadeur Berthier
Giuliano Gemma
as Adjudant-chef Federico
Laurent Malet
as Damrémont
Pierre Vaneck
as Colonel Grasser
Jean-Claude Bouillon
as Maurois
Gérard Essomba
as Bia Kombo
Robert Etcheverry
as Le colonel Dubourg
Pierre Rousseau
as Debruyn
Henri Marteau
as Chamfort
Laure Moutoussamy
as Elodie
