The daily life of explosive disposal crews and the process of performing their duties, set during the bomb removal project that preceded the land reclamation project in North Korea.

A squadron of North Korean soldiers during the Korean war must scramble across dangerous terrain to cut off an American attack (with only the eponymous 12 hours in which to do it). With a commander whose health is failing him, a group of young but fiercely patriotic soldiers the DPRK army manage to hold off the Yanks (who foolishly informed the press of their planned attack before going through with it).

A small troop of North Korean soldiers, armed with just four guns among them, defeats General Douglas MacArthur and 50,000 American soldiers at Inch'on.