The war novel and subsequent film , written by Iraq War veteran Kevin Powers, is a poignant exploration of friendship, loss, and the psychological trauma of combat.

The story follows two young soldiers, Brandon Bartle and Daniel "Murph" Murphy, who are deployed to Al Tafar, Iraq. Having promised Murph’s mother he would bring her son home safely, Bartle must navigate the brutal reality of the battlefield and the devastating secret he carries back home.