In March of 2003, the Marine Corps plan to send two columns north across the Iraqi desert to help the Army seize Baghdad. If there's going to be trouble, it will happen when the Marines try to traverse a north/south stretch of road between two bridges in Nasiriyah. On March 23, nothing goes right. When a convoy of supply trucks takes a wrong turn, they travel north up "Ambush Alley" almost to the end before they recognize their mistake and turn around. Returning south, they've almost made it back to the Euphrates River when gunfire explodes from buildings on both sides of the road. The Marines find themselves in a heated firefight with black-robed Fedayeen fighters. Over the next several hours, they try to fight their way out, save their wounded comrades and complete their mission.