Tony Curtis plays an unstable, naive US war hero. On February 19, 1945 the USA conquered the island of Iwo Jima. Coincidentally, the shy Indian Ira Hayes (Tony Curtis) is present when the flag is raised and therefore in the photo that goes around the world. In his homeland, Hayes is hooked into an advertising campaign as the new folk hero. He escapes into alcohol ... The present unabridged version also shows Ira's social decline.