Three men serving in the British Flying Corps during World War I, Young, Crocker, and Richards, are thrust into a complex web of rivalries and tensions. Young and Crocker are bitter enemies, with Crocker convinced that Young is trying to keep him away from the front. Despite their animosity, they are forced to work together as a flying team. Tragedy strikes when Richards, a kind and good-natured man, is killed while flying with Crocker on a unnecessary mission. Young, already struggling with the mental strain of seeing many of his comrades killed, takes a leave in London and spends the night with a woman he meets there. Upon returning to the front, he shoots down the notorious German ace, Greentail, but is devastated to discover that the pilot was just a boy. Young's disillusionment with the war causes him to take his own life, and Crocker attempts to cover up the suicide by pretending Young was killed in combat and shooting his corpse. In the end, Crocker is seen visiting Young's grave, but is told to move along by a policeman.