After losing his wife and young daughter in a plane crash, US journalist Fletcher Carson joins the flagging war effort in Vietnam where he plans to die However, during one of his early missions he rescues a critically wounded Labrador and helps nurse him back to health Fletcher names the dog Jack and, as the bond deepens between them, he slowly begins to regain his will to live A ceasefire is then signed, effectively bringing an end to the war As the soldiers celebrate the announcement, it is soon followed by bad news The American Government declares that, due to the cost of the withdrawal, all US dogs serving in the war have been labelled as 'surplus military equipment' and will be left behind For Fletcher, he knows that if he abandons Jack, then he too will be lost