[2][3] The story details the men and families of G Company, 24th Infantry Division, United States Army.

There are two main sub-plots: First Sergeant Milt Warden’s (William Devane) ongoing affair with Karen Holmes (Natalie Wood), the wife of his commanding officer, and Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt's (Steve Railsback) affair with Lorene Rogers (Kim Basinger), a local prostitute.

He is a skilled boxer who unintentionally severely injured a fellow soldier in an exhibition boxing match.

Facing pressure from the fascist-minded Gen. Barney Slater, who argues that the Army needs to control soldiers by fear of authority, Captain Holmes has many of his sergeants harass and abuse Prewitt in an attempt to pressure him to join the company's boxing team.

Prewitt’s friend Private Angelo Maggio is sent to the stockade after being court martialed for getting drunk and fighting with MPs.

He and the other sergeants of the company go to the armory and get Browning Automatic Rifles (B.A.R.s) and .30 caliber Model 1919 machine guns and return fire to the attacking Japanese warplanes.

Wanting to join in on the upcoming war, and with Warden promising to help smooth things over regarding Fatso’s murder if he reports back, Prewitt attempts to rejoin the company but is mortally wounded by a nervous sentry that same evening.

When asked by the other soldiers if Prewitt was a good soldier in his company, Warden replies, “Hell, he was the only soldier.” The miniseries spawned a weekly primetime soap opera of the same name, with many cast members reprising their roles, including William Devane, Roy Thinnes, and Kim Basinger.