After a grueling series of 21 missions in 30 days, the 918th is finally ordered to stand down for a badly needed 10-day rest. Unfortunately, the order is rescinded almost immediately as the Group is to be included in a force-wide campaign in preparation for a highly classified mission. Hamstrung by the secrecy, Gallagher is forced to order his men back into the skies without explanation or promise of respite. To make matters worse, the 918th is given the ungratifying task of dropping leaflets instead of bombs four times a day for three straight days. As the losses and casualties mount, the morale of the Group collapses into near anarchy, and the men start to take their frustration out on each other, as well as the apparent source of the senselessness - Col. Gallagher.