The First Cavalry Division launches a rescue mission when one of their platoons is ambushed by thousands of enemy insurgents in Baghdad; as news breaks, the lives of the soldiers' families at Fort Hood are thrown into chaos and uncertainty.
Denomy's mettle is tested when he leads the first rescue into Sadr City under heavy fire; at Fort Hood, Gina Denomy faces challenges of her own as a new leader of the Family Readiness Group and the mother of a newborn.
Miltenberger and his men become stranded in the city in increasingly dangerous conditions as night falls; Denomy and Volesky regroup for another rescue attempt while Aguero and his men brace for contact; LeAnn and Gina try to reassure the families.
Interpreter Jassim al-Lani's troubled past is revealed and his allegiances are tested; tensions rise in the alley house as the insurgents change tactics and force Aguero to make a decision that will scar his platoon forever.
With Aguero out of play and the supply of ammunition fast diminishing, Bourquin struggles to signal helicopters in a desperate last-ditch effort to get located, culminating in a climactic final battle.
The rescuers finally punch through to the stranded platoon; eight hours and seven minutes after the first shots were fired, the men of the 1st Cavalry Division are reunited, and must cope with the new realities of the war that has just begun.