In the early 1990s, the war in the Middle East was on the verge of breaking out, and the famous "Desert Storm" was brewing. Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), a 20-year-old young man, was born into a military family. His grandfather, father and uncle were heroes who had walked down the battlefield. Anthony was influenced by his family since he was a child and was determined to become a glorious soldier who had made great contributions on the battlefield. After countless brutal training, he was finally sent to the Second Battalion of the Seventh Marine Expeditionary Brigade of the Marine Corps and officially joined the Middle East battlefield. Anthony was full of confidence, but found that the cruelty of the war was far beyond his expectations. During this period, his girlfriend in his hometown was unfaithful and cheated, and fear, emptiness and depression tortured his nerves all the time. The true meaning of war made him fall into contemplation and contradiction... This film is based on the 2003 best-seller by former US Marine Corps member Anthony Swofford, and won the 2005 San Diego Film Critics Association Special Award.