Bill, John Jarratt, is a young recruit in the Australian Special Air Service, arriving for a year-long tour of duty in Vietnam. The section forms a tight-knit group that includes Harry, Graham Kennedy, the section's Corporal and the oldest and most worldly-wise, along with Bung, John Hargreaves; Rogers, Bryan Brown; Dawson, Graeme Blundell; and Scott, Ian Gilmour. The men cope with their harsh reality through a blend of humor, cheek, and practical jokes, punctuated by copious quantities of beer. Harry has an ongoing verbal feud with the squadron cook over the questionable quality of the food, a running joke that cushions the gravity of their surroundings.
In the early weeks, mud, boredom, tinea, and the ceaseless rain are their main antagonists, a rough training ground that foreshadows the real conflict to come. Then, one night, the war comes to their camp in the form of a mortar barrage that leaves several of them wounded and several lives disrupted. The first patrol follows soon after: a short, sharp engagement in dense jungle that leaves Scott mortally wounded and a wounded Viet Cong fighter escapes into the thicket. This encounter casts a long shadow over the tour, setting the tone for long, exhausting patrols that are periodically interrupted by mines, booby-traps, and sudden flare-ups with the enemy.
Back at camp, the men search for ways to pass the hours and blunt the fear and grief that gnaw at them. They indulge in drunken brawls, stage a practical joke on the Padre, and even engage in an insect-fighting contest with an American unit that spirals into a massive fistfight. During one moment of personal news, Bill receives a thinly disguised break-up letter from his girlfriend back home, a moment that underscores the emotional strain of their mission.
On leave in Saigon, Bung intercepts a young scam artist who has robbed a pair of US soldiers. The group confiscates the thief’s stolen cash and, seizing the moment, teams up with the Americans for a wild night with hookers, an escapade in which Bill also participates and loosens the tight rein the war holds on him.
During a lull at the camp, Harry opens up about his past, revealing he once was a professional artist and has endured a painful marriage break-up. His growing cynicism about the conduct and purpose of the war deepens as he speaks of the lack of gratitude and interest they are likely to receive upon returning home. Bung receives devastating news that his mother and his girlfriend have perished in a car accident, a blow that reshapes his emotional landscape.
Tragedy strikes again when Rogers steps on a mine during a patrol, losing both feet and suffering severe facial injuries that alter his life. His comrades visit him in the hospital before he is sent home, and he asks Harry to check if his testicles are still present — a muted, human moment amid the debris of war, and they are.
As the tour nears its end, a major offensive is launched to capture a VC-held bridge. The heroic effort culminates in Bung being killed by a VC machine-gunner as the squad secures the bridge, only to be ordered to withdraw soon after. The tension and fatigue of the mission weigh heavily on Harry, Bill, and Dawson as they receive the news that they will be sent home.
Back in Australia, Harry and Bill share a beer at a harbour-side pub in Watsons Bay. A barman’s question—whether they have just returned from Vietnam—is met with a pointed, almost curt reply from Harry: >No<. The film closes with the two men looking out across Port Jackson, phantom pains and hard-won memories lingering as they reflect on what they survived and what it means to come home at last.
