Explains and shows how during World War II many top Austrian ski instructors and racers; such as: Sigi Engl, Luggi Foegger, Bill Klein, Toni Matt, Friedl Pfeifer, Herbert Schneider and Rupert and Werner von Trapp, were recruited to serve as ski and rock climbing trainers and leaders of the United States first division of mountain troops, the 10th Mountain Division, which trained at Camp Hale in the Colorado Rockies, and then served in the Aleutian Islands as well as in Italy. In Italy some of these Austrians fought alongside their American comrades against their German and Austrian compatriots. Much of this story is told by 10th Mountain veteran Herbert Schneider.