This film is about the journey of Johnny "Rico" going from a constantly winning young man who makes decisions based on getting what he wants and winning to him becoming a soldier. With earth under attack from a alien bug race, the Federation mobilizes to attack the bugs before they destroy our planet with another attack. Many people join up, including Carmen, Johnny's girlfriend whom he follows in order to continue to be close to her. He doesn't care about being in service to the world. He only wants to ensure that his relationship with Carmen continues.
Unfortunately, Carmen is set on being a ship commander and sees a relationship as a burden to her goal. Thus she breaks up with Johnny. To make matters worse, his desire to be the best gets one of his men killed in a training exercise. He begins to understand that he's chosen to do this for no reason. He is ready to leave the Army when his parents are killed in an attack on Buenos Aires. For the first time he has something to fight for. From this place, he begins to understand the meaning of sacrifice in order to protect the people he loves. And while on the ground fighting the alien bugs he learns to lead the men and women entrusted to his care in such a way that they fight with courage and the belief that what they are doing matters and will make a difference to save our planet. He transitions from a punk kid into a man whom anyone would follow into battle.
