In the last days of the Vietnam War, U.S. navy fighter pilots aboard an aircraft carrier have become disillusioned with the way the war is going and the pointless missions they are required to fly. Because the authorities have forbidden them from bombing strategic spots during the Paris peace talks, ace pilot Lt. Jake 'Cool Hand' Grafton (Brad Johnson) and his partner, a cynical veteran bombardier named Cole (Willem Dafoe), decide to take matters into their own hands. As they plan a daring raid on the People's Resistance Park in downtown Hanoi (where the Viet Cong display captured U.S. artillery), Grafton and Cole find themselves torn between their loyalty to their commanding officer (Danny Glover) and their sense of personal honor. Based on the novel by Stephen Coonts.