It's 1967, and Harlem teenager Richie Perry is graduating from high school. He dreams of attending college and becoming a writer like James Baldwin. However, reality has other plans. After volunteering for the army, Perry doesn't expect to fight in the Vietnam War, but a paperwork mix-up sends him to the frontlines.
Perry and his platoon are soon face-to-face with relentless violence and brutality. One false move can mean the difference between survival and death, whether they are fighting the Vietcong or simply walking through the jungle. Overcome by the horrors, Perry begins questioning everything. What were his motives for joining the army? Why are black troops given the most dangerous missions? Why is the United States even there?
Perry and his fellow soldiers may have all come to Vietnam for different reasons, but now they share the same dream, to get home alive.
