South Armagh, the mid 1980s. In a quiet country road, a platoon of soldiers surrounds a car. The platoon commander shouts at the occupants to get out and, when they refuse, he shoots the driver. The passenger gets out of the car and lies face down on the ground; he is searched. One of the soldiers radios for a helicopter to collect a body and a suspect.
Later, back at the barracks, the platoon is briefed on their next mission by their captain - a patrol of the surrounding countryside. After two uneventful days patrolling, the platoon come under fire from unseen assailants. One of the soldiers is shot, but saved from serious injury by his flak jacket. The soldiers return fire, but the assailants escape.
The following day, the platoon chances upon an isolated farmhouse. The captain approaches with his gun raised. The occupants are an elderly couple, who are frightened by the soldiers' presence. The platoon quietly retreats. The next day, one of the soldiers stands on a landmine and is killed. The captain insists that the dead man's possessions be removed from the barracks within an hour of the platoon's return and bans the soldiers from discussing the incident. He explains to the platoon that death is part of the job and tomorrow they must return to work.
The platoon finds what they believe to be a booby-trapped device in a field and a man they suspect of planting it. The man is held at gunpoint and as the captain bends to pick the suspect package up, he orders that the man be shot if the package explodes. It does not explode and the man is released. That night, they stumble across a caravan and a tent in some woods. The captain approaches the tent and sees two children asleep inside. One of the children wakes and stares at the captain and the platoon retreats. Early the next morning, a helicopter arrives and takes the platoon back to base.
The next day the platoon, hidden from view, watches a deserted road. Two cars arrive and the occupants from both begin loading rifles from one car into the other. The soldiers open fire and the men flee to a nearby farmhouse. The platoon surrounds the farmhouse and the captain gives the men thirty seconds to come out. Four men leave the house and are searched by the platoon. The soldiers return to base to receive details of their next mission. The following day, the platoon finds a car parked on a quiet road. The captain checks it over as the platoon stays back. After the captain has declared the car safe, one of the soldiers walks up to the car. It explodes, blowing the soldier backwards.
