Growing up in post-WWII Germany, the son of a Nazi slain during the war, Dieter Dengler dreamed about becoming a pilot. At age 18 he emigrated to the United States and worked odd jobs until he was accepted into the Navy and began pilot training. He was sent to Vietnam around 1966 and on his first mission was shot down and taken prisoner. There, the Vietcong tortured him until Dengler engineered a hair-raising escape and eventually returned to the U.S. His story is recounted here via interviews, archival footage and re-enactments seamlessly woven together.