Ten Seconds to Hell

British Major Haven recruits the remnants of a returning German bomb disposal unit to defuse unexploded Allied bombs scattered around Berlin. The men are wary but agree to join, hoping to make sense of the chaos. Haven assigns Frau Bauer as their liaison to coordinate operations.

Karl volunteers to lead the unit, but the men vote for Eric instead, creating an uneasy balance between Karl's aggression and Eric's measured approach. The new leadership dynamic shapes how they approach dangerous bomb disposal missions. Tensions simmer as they prepare for their first assignments.

Karl and Eric move into a boarding house run by Margot Hoefler, a French widow whose husband died during the war. The arrival of Margot introduces personal tension and a softer human dimension to their grim work. The men begin living among civilians displaced by the devastation.

The unit defuses numerous bombs without incident until Globke is killed when a 1000-pound bomb explodes after he believes it's defused. The accident underscores the stakes and the danger of false confidence. Eric offers the others the chance to leave, but none choose to quit.

Haven later extends the option to Eric and his men to quit the work. Eric refuses, reaffirming his commitment to staying and finishing the mission. The group remains bound to the dangerous task despite growing personal and moral strain.

A drunken Karl returns with Margot after a night out and tries to force himself on her. Eric intervenes and orders Karl to leave, but Margot explains she is seen as a traitor by the French and an outsider to the Germans. She challenges Eric’s own desires, revealing the complexity of loyalties in occupied Berlin.

A few days later, Tillig is trapped under a bomb when a building partly collapses. Eric and Karl race to the site; Karl begins defusing, but Eric steps in and neutralizes the device. The ruined structure collapses further, killing Tillig and a doctor while the team struggles with the loss.

The next day, Eric takes Margot to a ruined section of the city to show her something, but he changes his mind. The foundation stone of a building reveals that he designed it, linking his past to the present. He finally admits that he loves Margot.

Back at headquarters, Haven tells Eric they are having trouble getting information. Eric reveals that he was Dr. Koertner, a promising architect before the war who was forced into demolitions for expressing anti-Nazi sentiments. Karl urges him to quit, but Eric refuses.

A month before the wager's deadline, Sulke is killed defusing another 1000-pound bomb. Loeffler drowns in a canal when his air line is cut and no one notices. The losses tighten the group's resolve but also strain their solidarity.

Margot urges Eric to give up; he explains that the conflict becomes a battle of survival between the Karls of the world and the 'me's' of the world. She tells him she loves him regardless, and they embrace. The relationship deepens even as the danger continues.

Karl phones in that he has a 1000-pound bomb and Eric goes to inspect with him. Eric suggests a method to defuse the bomb; Karl decides to try the plan. Tension builds as they attempt to neutralize the device, knowing the deadline is near.

During the final defusal, Karl uses a pencil to hold back a secondary firing pin while Eric stands clear. When Karl releases the pencil to continue, the bomb detonates, killing Karl. Eric, shaken, survives, and the outcome cements the tragic cost of their war.