As the globe stands on the brink of World War II, Shanghai has fallen and deadly Japanese bombers target the infamous city of Nanking. As panic breaks out and savage bombing raids devastate the city, veteran entrepreneur John Rabe, a German living the high life in the social whirl of Nanking, must make a agonizing choice: to flee or give sanctuary to the terrified population within the gates of his factory.  When the Imperial Japanese Army discovers rich "Nazi" Rabe’s selfless operation, they see it an act of high treason. As a wave of brutality is unleashed on Nanking, Rabe and his comrades find themselves in a race against time to fight for a safety zone to protect the hundreds of thousands of innocent victims of this ultimate act of war. But as the bombings desist, a perilous siege begins.