Swept up in the patriotic fervour that followed 9/11, three young Americans join the U.S. army hoping to be the heroes that star in the slick ad campaigns broadcast by the military. Gaining incredible access to US army bases, director Sarah Goodman follows the three new recruits for the next two years, starting with the harshness of basic training. In stark contrast to the portraits of willing patriotic soldiers that America sells at home and abroad, these heartbreaking stories reveal the more realistic, troubled conflict of American youth trapped within a military mission much larger than themselves.