In 1973, shortly after the military Junta coup in Chile, three men—the worker Carlos, the student Juan and the government official Lorenzo—tried to escape to Argentina over the Andes. Along the way, they witness the murder of a farmer by Chilean policemen. Juan urgently needs medical attention for torture wounds from his time in prison, and they end up at the home of the farmer’s heavily pregnant wife. She takes them in, and the three men help her give birth. Once they finally cross the border, their application for asylum is denied. Carlos and Lorenzo are captured and brought back to Chile, but Juan escapes and tries to rescue his companions.

Chilean director Orlando Lübbert worked in East Germany from 1977 to 1979. The Border Crossing is the only film he directed for the DEFA Studios.

The film is also available with Spanish subtitles.