It's 1967, and Bob Cruz and Dave Ford have been best friends since they met in the third grade at grammar school eleven years ago. Just finishing their freshman year at a community college, they have a mutual interest in guns and hunting, and they spend every available minute hunting in the fields outside their hometown of Fresno, California. The Vietnam War is in full swing and Bob and Dave know it's just a matter of time before they're drafted and sent overseas. They decide to enlist in the Marine Corps through the buddy system. Unlike most young men, their desire to become Marines and go to Vietnam is combined with a strong desire to kill the enemy Viet Cong. Avid hunters, they have a perverse desire to kill people before entering boot camp so they can determine if they have what it takes to be killers. Bob and Dave concoct what they believe is a foolproof plan. But their perfect murder has flaws that result in a living nightmare.