传奇摄影师罗德里戈·普列托（《花月杀手》）的电影处女作在一个看似废弃的墨西哥小镇展开，在这个小镇上，过去和现在迷人地共存，这是一个关于欲望、腐败和继承的迷人故事。

　　威廉·退尔与他的中东妻子苏娜以及他们的儿子沃尔特生活在1307年的瑞士。奥地利人继续压迫瑞士人民，并肆意掠夺他们所占领的土地，满足其邪恶的欲望。当奥地利人袭击附近的一个村庄时，州长沃尔夫肖特强暴并杀害了农夫鲍姆加滕的妻子。作为报复，鲍姆加滕杀死了州长，但被迫逃亡。威廉·退尔出于善良的本性，帮助他逃脱，并将他带到自己的老朋友斯陶夫哈赫那里。斯陶夫哈赫是一位曾经的十字军战士，泰尔曾与他一同在耶路撒冷作战，他的妻子是格特鲁德。尽管威廉·退尔曾发誓不再诉诸暴力，但他和他的朋友们一致认为，必须阻止奥地利人的暴行。

　　May 1945: the end of the Second World War in the Tyrolean Alps. SS man Anton has deserted and been shot. On the run from his unit, he swaps his SS uniform for that of a dead Wehrmacht soldier and discovers a lonely mountain hut. Hannah, a Jewish woman, is hiding here. She takes Anton in and tends to his wounds.
　　But there is great mistrust between the two. Together they cope with the harsh everyday life in the remote hut. They are looked after by 16-year-old peasant girl Charlotte, whose family pays Hannah not to betray them. And at night, they hear fighting between the German troops and Italian partisans. Over time, a cautious familiarity develops between Anton and Hannah - he, who has done terrible things in the war, she, who has lost her family and has been struggling with fear and loneliness up here in the mountains for months. They grow closer. Hannah finds out that Anton was no ordinary soldier. He was in the SS, a man of conviction, at least at first. Brutal truths come to light. The war is as good as over, but what kind of future awaits them?
　　Georg turns up at the hut: He's been looking for Anton, hunting him down. He was the one who shot Anton - his best friend. Georg is fighting a battle that has long been hopeless, driven by hatred and the will to destroy. And he also wants to kill Hannah. High in the mountains, the decision is made.
　　The Deserter is a story about war and guilt, but also about helpfulness and humanity.