In late 1967, young Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) has abandoned college for combat duty in Vietnam. Taylor and several other replacements have been assigned to Bravo Company, near the Cambodian border. Worn down by the exhausting heat and poor living conditions, his enthusiasm for the war wanes and he develops an admiration for the more experienced soldiers. One night while on an ambush, his unit is set upon by a group of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers, who are forced to retreat after a brief gunfight. Gardner, a new recruit, is killed while another soldier, Tex, is maimed by friendly fire from a grenade thrown by Sergeant "Red" O'Neill (John C. McGinley). Taylor eventually gains acceptance from a tight-knit group in his unit who socialize and take drugs in a cabin clubhouse. He finds a mentor in Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe) as well as the elder King (Keith David), while resenting the more ruthless Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes (Tom Berenger).
