Chief Warrant Officer Nora Madani and Captain Leeland Gallo are tormented by a botched mission in which they escaped but several of their team members, including her friend Jimmy, were killed or taken captive. Nora is wounded and suffering from combat stress and is supported by her boyfriend First Lieutenant Ian Porter. Captain Leeland Gallo consoles himself with kinky sex with an administrative assistant.

Nora is told she cannot return to flight duty. Jimmy's son gets a call from him. An intelligence officer flirts inappropriately with Ian before briefing the unit on Jimmy's captivity. They will have to retrieve the captured soliders rather than negotiate their release.

Nora visits Leeland and they talk about how they lied in the briefing about the mission. They think "this thing" is bigger than what they know. The intelligence officer seems to be working Ian for information on Nora. Nora will be allowed to fly exercises but not missions.

Nora finds out Ian expressed concern for her and that's why she's been taken off flight duty. She has trouble flying and Leeland is concerned. They have a late night rendevous in which they smash things and nearly have sex. 

She goes home and finds Ian there. Ian wants Nora to tell him the truth, but she lies and says there is nothing to tell. She plays the drums.

Leeland and Nora fly on an exercise as Jimmy is tormented by his captors. The engines die but Nora manages to land safely. Leeland admits he turned the engines off and she passed her test. Ian and Nora go home together, but Leeland and Nora think about each other and the mission. 

In a flashback, Nora shoots an American to protect the American they were retriving in Somalia.