A group of young mice is in the ruins of a church, practicing singing for an upcoming service. After singing an adulterated version of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” the mice wonder about the last line, “Good will to men.” One of them asks the chorus master, an old mouse, “What are men?” The old mouse explains that they all killed each other off by building bigger and more destructive weapons, first guns, then missiles, then bombs.