In Poland, 1624, at the beginning of the Thirty Years War, the Swedish commander-in-chief is raising troops. On a country road near a town, a recruiter and sergeant complain about how hard it is to find solders, especially since peace has made people seem lazy and complacent.
A merchant named Anna Fierling rides up on a covered cart, pulled by her two sons. Fierling, whose nickname is "Mother Courage," sits on the cart with her mute daughter Kattrin. The two men stop the cart and begin recruiting the boys, especially the quick-witted older son called Eilif. Their mother tries to prevent it - she wants her boys to have nothing to do with the war. The sergeant chides Mother Courage, because she depends on the war for her business, but she doesn't want to.....
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