The story is presented as a voiced-over narrative by Arita (Takahiro Tamura), speaking long after the events of the film. In a remote army base in Manchuria, near the Soviet border, long-serving corporal Arita hates the military and looks forward to the day he may leave. Although a university graduate, he has several times deliberately failed the exam for promotion and thus remains a corporal after four years' service.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Shintarō KatsuKisaburo Omiya | Kisaburo Omiya |
 Takahiro TamuraArita | Arita |
 Joe ShishidoNot listed | Not listed |
 Michiyo YasudaNot listed | Not listed |
 Koichi OseNot listed | Not listed |
 Hideji ŌtakiNot listed | Not listed |
| JJun TakigawaNot listed | Not listed |
| TTeruo MatsuyamaNot listed | Not listed |
| GGorō KudanNot listed | Not listed |
 Jun KatsumuraNot listed | Not listed |
| CChikara HashimotoNot listed | Not listed |
 Yukio HorikitaNot listed | Not listed |
| KKazuo MortuchiNot listed | Not listed |
| TTsuyotake MatsudaNot listed | Not listed |
| KKatsuyoshi BabaNot listed | Not listed |
| TTamotsu FujiharuNot listed | Not listed |
| IIwao KasumiNot listed | Not listed |
| HHaruyoshi TakeuchiNot listed | Not listed |
| HHiroshi MikiNot listed | Not listed |