- The unit is sent to form an alliance with a tribal leader named Hamid, and to visit a hospital in Fallujah.
- They're led by a man named Major Scott. Birdy's getting nervous.
- Birdy and his squad get to have dinner with Hamid, who pays them compliments about America.
- Major Scott stresses cooperation, but Hamid mostly evades the question. He says the Americans' war is already won, and the real war now is over who will rule Iraq.
- They enter Fallujah to camp out overnight in the hospital. Miller decides to treat the patients…even though Coles says she isn't allowed.
- As everyone else falls asleep, Marla tells Birdy about her life being passed around to different foster homes.
- Birdy goes to the bathroom and finds two Iraqi men trying to rape Miller. He shoots them both.
- Miller has a breakdown, and Birdy isn't much better. He leaves Fallujah as a man who has definitely killed.
- Marla is the only one who gets it. She tells Birdy, "If you need to be with somebody, let it be me." (14.144)
- Sessions' boss Rose sends the unit to As Sayliyah for a briefing. Coles doesn't seem happy, nor does Sessions.
- They get a couple of days of rest and relaxation, which means they're probably going to be sent into combat afterward.
- Even though he has nothing to do, Birdy can't relax. His hands keep shaking, and he keeps reaching for his gun.
- The unit is given the vaguest speech ever. All they know is that their mission will be covert, and they'll be reassigned afterward.
- The First and Second Squads are chosen for the mission, along with the medics.
- Birdy writes a letter to his uncle. He asks Richie to tell his mom not to worry.
- They're being sent to a marshy area where children have been kidnapped by Iranian Badr fighters. Their job is to negotiate to bring the children back in exchange for info about detonators from the villagers.
- When they arrive, a man named Captain Roberts explains the mission in more detail. Turns out he already has the kids—they were kidnapped as a favor to him. The whole negotiation thing is a lie.
- They're given one of the boys and drive with him to the village chief.
- Coles tells the chief he can get the kids back if the chief can get them detonators. At first the men pretend not to know what he's talking about, but when he walks away they relent.
- The squad returns to Roberts, who puts the kids in their truck. They ride back.
- When they return, Birdy gets the detonators, but when they bring the children out, shots are fired at them. Coles orders the squad to get in the car and leave the children, but Jonesy throws his body over a blind child to protect him.
- Birdy goes after Jonesy, but he's hit, first by a bullet, then he's knocked off his feet by the impact of a bomb. Someone drives him back to the truck. On the truck, Marla says Jonesy was hit.
- When they get back to camp, Jonesy has blood on his neck. Miller pushes everyone away and starts to tend to him.
- Birdy prays, for the first time in awhile, that Jonesy won't die.