Young and naive, Chris Taylor leaves his privileged background and university education to volunteer for combat duty in Vietnam. Assigned to an infantry brigade near the Cambodian border, Taylor is quickly disillusioned by the brutal realities of war. He finds himself in the middle of not just a conflict with the enemy, but amongst his fellow soldiers as well. Plunged into a hostile environment, Chris bears witness to the effects of combat that tests men's morality and will to survive; it's amidst this chaos that he must find his place.

As Taylor becomes more battle-weary, he observes the deep rift between two of his superior officers. Sergeant Elias is the compassionate leader who advocates for the welfare of the platoon, opposing the ruthless and antagonistic methods of Sergeant Barnes, who seems molded and inured by the horrors of warfare. Their conflict represents the war's larger moral ambiguities. As tension between them escalates, Taylor is drawn into the fray, forced to navigate the dangerous waters of loyalty and morality. The psychological and physical strain continues to mount as every patrol increases the odds of a violent and unpredictable encounter with the enemy.