The victim’s stern father (Hans Nielsen) and the bürgermeister demand the death penalty, which calls for Karin to take the stand to testify. In the military trial held in the town’s high school gymnasium, Maj. Steve Garrett (Kirk Douglas) is the competent defense counsel who gathers evidence from the locals to smear the girl’s reputation and during the trial breaks her down as he badgers and taunts the victim causing her to faint and not go on with her testimony. Since she can’t testify the lawyer saves the soldiers from the death sentence; instead they are sentenced to long prison terms. As a further result Karin is made to feel dirty by the town and rejected by her ashamed father, which causes her to commit suicide. Garrett leaves town shunned by both his fellow officers and the local citizens, but fought fair according to the law.