A young recruit in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horror of war and the duality of man.
Chris Taylor is a young, naive American who gives up college and volunteer for combat in Vietnam. Upon arrival, he quickly discover that his presence is quite nonessential, and is conidered inignificant to the other soldier, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officer, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occur during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon.

story by an American soldier Chris Taylor in the form of a letter to the grandmother narrative. In 1967, a 19-year-old Chris Taylor is a childlike face college students, he gave up his studies, and other U.S. soldiers to war, take the C-130 aircraft arrived in Sai Kung. Vietnam, he was incorporated in an infantry platoon, perform tasks in a tropical jungle adjacent to the Cambodian border. Taylor, where the infantry platoon, there are all sorts of people, the greatest impact to the case of Barnes, Sergeant Elias Sergeant Taylor. The two of them are a pair of good friends, fought side by side for many years in Vietnam, but the two have completely different view of the war. Every day and death dealing, Barnes, the heart becomes extremely cold, almost become a crazy killing machine. And Elias is no loss of reason, he believes that even in a brutal war, but also to comply with the Code of Conduct can not be indiscriminate killing of innocent. Both impact their ideas with Taylor and Taylor, hovering between the two, and tried to figure out the war in the end is how the matter. The film embodies Chris Taylor participated in four battles. Taylor for the first time to participate in patrols in a night ambush was the newspaper. Seeing one of the recruits fell on his side, Taylor scared transfixed. The next morning, when they entered a Vietnamese village, he saw a tree hanging on a U.S. soldier. The entire Platoon crazy. Village, telling anyone to kill, Chris Duan Qiqiang align a frightened daze Vietnamese have feet is a row of bullets. Barnes ordered to use a flamethrower to burn the entire villages massacred villagers frantically. Elias has remained calm, and strongly discourage Barnes to get the atrocities. Therefore, while the two fight, do a very tense relationship.巴恩斯因伊莱 Elias will report to their superiors, and more vindictive. This row in the jungle In the newspaper ambush Elias alone into the enemy's rear area, Taylor and another soldier fire cover. After a burst of fierce fighting, Barnes heard this came command Tyler retreat back the other soldiers were injured too, but sneaked into the jungle, aimed his gun Elias, and even put two shots, when Barnes out of the jungle is The saw Fanshen and more Taylor. Taylor asked Elias's whereabouts, Barnes hurried to cover up and pull Taylor went straight to come to the rescue to get the helicopter. When the helicopter took off slowly passing a jungle, Taylor suddenly found covered with blood Elias is jungle Dash, dozens of Vietnamese soldiers in hot pursuit behind him, Elias end result of his injuries re-lay dead. Taylor pain turned to stare Barnes, Barnes busy U-turn looking out the window. In a larger battle, the fall of the American positions. U.S. Air Force on the positions of the fall fire, bombing. Barnes would like to multiply the turmoil to kill Taylor silence, Just then, a bomb fall, they lost consciousness. When they wake up, Barnes command Taylor went to surgeon Taylor ported alignment Barnes, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. The fight was over, both sides suffered heavy casualties, wounded Taylor by helicopter to leave the war often at the moment, his thoughts chaotic, just like a nightmare awakened.