Corporal Joe Enders is injured when he is outnumbered by Japanese forces in 1942. Enders recovers from his wounds except some deafness in one ear. He is promoted to sergeant and returns to active duty two years later. Enders has to protect Navajo code talker Ben Yahzee. He is told that the Navajo code cannot fall into enemy hands, and if the code talker is about to be captured he is to kill him, to ensure that the Japanese can't break the code. The Marines land at Saipan under heavy fire from the Japanese and in the fighting Yahzee never fires a shot. Enders has to come to terms with protecting an important soldier who is reluctant to shoot the enemy.