A boy in the countryside near Voghera meets a squad of Italian soldiers. The official, fearing an encounter with the Austrians along the route, asks the boy to climb up an ash tree to act as a look-out. The boy effectively spots a squad of Austrian solders close by, but the Austrians also notice him and start firing. However, the young look-out continues his observation of the enemy, until he is fatally wounded by a rifle shot.