From the 1920s through to 1949, troops under the leadership of Mao Tse Dung (Mao Tsedong) and his comrades fought many battles with both the Japanese and with troops loyal to Chiang Kai Shek and his allies. This war drama follows the desperate efforts of an all-woman company who have taken up suicide positions on a mountain pass in the Gobi desert region of western China to enable the main army to escape. Each woman's life up to that point is shown through a series of flashbacks.
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide