In March 2018, during the War in Afghanistan, U.S. Army special operations sergeant John Kinley recruited an Afghan named Ahmed to interpret with the locals on a mission. Ahmed tells Kinley he needs the money, but blames the Taliban for killing his son. At first, Kinley is wary of Ahmed and keeps him on a short leash, though he soon sees that Ahmed is providing reliable information as a translator and seems to read through lies being told by people he interrogates.

Kinley’s platoon is assigned to check out a report of Taliban activity about 100 klicks (62 miles) north of their base camp. When the soldiers’ platoon confronts the Taliban in the desert, they are caught off guard by a massing of troops in the area. The platoon is devastated by an ambush, and Kinley and Ahmed are the only ones to survive, with Kinley badly wounded. Before they can be captured, Ahmed rescues Kinley by dragging him up and through treacherous desert mountain passes amidst enemy territory, for 100 kilometers, back to base camp. The two of them survive, earning the respect of locals for their daring escape and becoming a target of the Taliban.

Kinley is airlifted back to the United States and eventually returns to his family in Santa Clarita, California. He cannot recall all the details of the escape but understands he owes his life to Ahmed. Like all Afghan interpreters for the U.S. military, Ahmed was promised a visa for himself and his family but did not receive it and is instead being pursued by the Taliban. Over several weeks, Kinley tries all diplomatic means to rescue Ahmed but gets nowhere. When U.S. authorities refuse to respond, Kinley returns to Afghanistan as a civilian and anonymously seeks the assistance of local military operatives whom he pays for a reconnaissance mission.

After Kinley connects with Ahmed and his family, a chase ensues, as they run from a large number of Taliban troops deployed to foil their escape. Taking cover on a bridge, they eventually run out of ammunition but are saved by AC-130s and NATO helicopters forcing the Taliban to retreat. Kinley and Ahmed rendezvous with the helicopter lift, which takes them to a waiting military transport back to safety and the U.S. In the closing titles, the monologue defining the importance of ‘covenants’ in military operations is shown again, after Kinley has fulfilled his covenant with Ahmed to save his friend’s life and bring him and his family to safety.