John Dantzler is a young American who has been drafted to join the Special Forces in Central America. His platoon is tasked with fighting off the Sandinistas in El Salvador and then invading Nicaragua. Everyone in his platoon has access to special drugs called "ampules" that are supposed to improve battlefield performance. But Dantzler's friend Moody warns that the drugs lead to bad side effects and can make you go crazy like DT, an aggressive, blood-thirsty member of the platoon who heavily relies on the ampules. One day, after surviving an ambush, the platoon finds and captures a local teen named Ricardo Quu, who warns Dantzler that his father is a very powerful man. Seemingly out of nowhere, DT pushes Quu out of their helicopter to his death. As the platoon continues through El Salvador on their way to Nicaragua, they encounter ambushes, booby traps, and a dangerous natural landscape. Dantzler has recurring dreams of Ricardo Quu's father seeking vengeance for his son's death. He begins to rely on the ampules more and more, just to cope with the isolation and fear. When the platoon massacres a group of injured Sandinistas, Dantzler can barely distinguish between reality and his drug-induced hallucinations. As each man mentally unravels, the platoon heads into a clouded forest that reminds Dantzler of the mystical Salvadoran spirit world of "Sukias", where your spirit goes to die after your body dies. While Dantzler keeps watch at night, he grows increasingly paranoid and overdoses on ampules. He sees a golden mist and feels a large bird taking him away from camp. He hears a man's voice, accusing Dantzler of killing his son, which prompts Dantzler to open fire. As the images fade away, he sees that most of his platoon is now dead. He is approached by a girl who asks him to tell people about the war when he returns home to Boston. Dantzler discovers that Moody and DT are still alive, and they all have different interpretations of who attacked them. Dantzler feels compelled to kill them. Dantzler recuperates in an American hospital, then returns home to Boston, where he struggles with PTSD. One night, an old friend, Phil Curry, tells him that he's recently been drafted and is scared to become a soldier. Despite Dantzler's fear of the dark, he agrees to meet Phil at his send-off party. In the parking lot outside the bar, Dantzler struggles with paranoia and decides to take his last two ampules before heading into the party.