Swedish troops arrive at Camp Valhall in northern Bosnia, where soldier Mikael Forss and his team are eager to get out into the field.

The soldiers receive ominous news of ongoing unrest in the village of Stupni Do. They go to investigate but are denied access to the village and ordered to return to camp.

Shaken by the experience in Stupni Do, the soldiers are forced to change strategy. When Forss and his team arrive in Vares, they discover that local Muslims are being held hostage in a school.

Forss is admitted to the prestigious diplomatic program, which evokes mixed feelings about leaving the group. Meanwhile, soldier Strand and Alma sneak away to a peaceful, idyllic lake where they get a long-awaited break from the war.

The four young soldiers have been kidnapped and taken hostage by Serbian ultra-nationalist extremists. Colonel Andreasson is now faced with the dilemma of giving the extremists what they want or refusing to negotiate with terrorists.

The soldiers and Colonel Andreasson are subjected to harsh scrutiny from Swedish politicians for their actions in Bosnia, which puts the soldiers' loyalties to the test.