During World War I, in 1917, Senegalese Bakary Diallo enlists in the French Army in order to be with his 17-year-old son, Thierno, who was forcibly recruited. Sent to the Western front, they try to find the means to return to Senegal – Bakary through underground contacts and Thierno through the command structure.  The film focuses on the overlooked contribution of fighters – both volunteer and conscripted – from France’s west African colonies who fought in France from 1914-18 .  About 200,000 men from west Africa fought at the front, and an estimated 20,000 died. They were known as Tirailleurs Sénégalais as most came from Senegal but were also drawn from what was then known as French West Africa, made up of eight territories including Mauritania, French Sudan (now Mali), Niger and Guinea.