抗美援朝进入最关键的决胜阶段了。美军在板门店谈判期间，暗中调集大量军队，发动突然袭击。美军目标很明确，就是攻占上甘岭，以此作为据点，进而夺取五圣山，一次增加谈判的筹码。 在上甘岭守卫的是中国人民解放军某部八连。面对比我方多得多的敌军，解放军没有退缩，而是选择了顽强抵抗，以此拖延美军时间，粉碎敌人阴谋。连队在连长张忠发（高保成 饰）的带领下，与美军浴血奋战。虽然坑道里的环境恶劣，而且面临着断水断粮的危险，但是解放军硬是坚守了24天，为中朝联军大反攻奠定了坚实的基础。

(From Wikipedia)- "Battle on Shangganling Mountain follows a group of Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers who are holding Triangle Hill for several days against US forces. Short of both food and water, they hold their ground until the relief troops arrive. The movie portray the battle as a Chinese victory over an American invasion, and the People's Volunteer Army soldiers were shown as Chinese war heroes."

В фильме описывается одно из самых кровопролитных вооруженных столкновений Корейской войны 1950-1953 годов.