In late 18th-century South Carolina, Benjamin Martin, a widowed family man and a veteran of the French and Indian War, is haunted by his violent past and is initially determined to remain uninvolved in the escalating American Revolution against British rule. However, his eldest son, Gabriel, yearns to join the Continental Army, defying his father’s wishes to protect his family and remain neutral. When the war inevitably spills over onto Martin’s own land and tragedy strikes, he is driven to lead a makeshift militia composed of townsfolk and reluctant countrymen. Despite his aversion to war, Martin becomes an imposing figure, adept at guerrilla tactics that confound and enrage the formidable British Redcoats.

The struggle becomes deeply personal as the British, led by the ruthless and aristocratic Colonel Tavington, engage in brutal tactics against the American colonists, inciting further rebellion and fueling the fire of independence. As Martin's militia faces the British forces, he is torn between his duty to his family and his growing commitment to the American cause. Alongside his son and a diverse group of soldiers, he is drawn into major battles and exploits, becoming a key figure in the patchwork of militias and regulars striving for American independence. Meanwhile, the dynamics within his own family evolve as they deal with loss, hardship, and the reality of a war-torn life.