Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris) is a former U. S. soldier who escaped captivity after ten years as a P.O.W. in Vietnam. Now seeking to go back and find other P.O.W.'s still being held by the Vietnamese, he enlists the help of and old friend, captain/gun smuggler Tuck (M. Emmet Walsh). But his way is hampered by political hamstrings, mainly by Vietnamese Gen. Trau (James Hong), who is trying to cover up the continued existence of the captives.