The story takes place in 1916 on an Austro-Hungarian patrol ship anchored at the foot of Wawel Castle. The crew commander, Adolf Schicklgruber, a future dictator, and soldiers Ludwig Wittgenstein, a future philosopher, and Joseph Schweik, a future good soldier, meet. Each character embodies a different type of person, driven by will, intellect, and wisdom, respectively. Each also presents a different attitude and vision of the world: authoritarian, idealistic, and pragmatic.