20年前,强盛的罗马帝国派出由5000精兵组成的罗马第九军团,却在苏格兰高地神秘消失。第九军团首领之子马库斯(查宁·塔图姆 Channing Tatum 饰)骁勇善战,带兵征战在前线。因为在一场战争中严重受伤,他不得不在叔叔家中养伤。养伤期间,马库斯在角斗场中救下一名奴隶埃斯科(杰米·贝尔 Jamie Bell 饰),并将其收为仆人。不久之后,马库斯听闻北方一个部落有人发现了当年父亲遗失的鹰杖,立志为父亲赢回荣誉的他决心远赴北方拿回鹰杖。马库斯带着对北方环境比较熟悉的埃斯科一起出发。路途中主仆二人的关系经历了各种起伏与相互考验。尤其是当他们遇到凶狠的西尔王子(塔哈·拉希姆 Tahar Rahim 饰)后,马库斯发现埃斯科的身份远远不只是个普通的奴隶那么简单。究竟谁掌控着鹰杖,当年的第九军团是如何覆灭的?真相愈加扑朔迷离……
The story begins in 1996 when Colonel Sodhi, now 70, visits his sister and her family. However, even after over half a century, the nightmares of his intense battle and its aftermath often return to haunt him. Old Sodhi and young Amar begin to bond and Sodhi accompanies Amar to Burma (Myanmar) for an assignment from BBC to shoot a documentary on the students against the Military Junta for freedom and democracy. In Singapore, Sodhi visits the places which bring back the memories of him as a Lieutenant in the British Indian Army Lt. Sodhi meets a beautiful photographer Maya who inspires him to change. Sodhi falls in love with Maya who joins the Indian National Army. Old Sodhi lands in Burma with Amar, and is welcomed by an Indian girl Rani. They accidentally get caught in the student protest and firing by the Military Junta to suppress the student agitation. When the soldiers of the Military Junta get rough and violent with Amar and Rani, old Sodhi is suddenly transformed into the young Lt.Sodhi and kills the two Burmese soldiers to defend his group.Old Sodhi and his group's escape from the Burmese soldiers runs parallel to the attack by the British bombers on Lt.Sodhi's unit. In 1944, the Indian National Army, tired, hungry, cold, feverish, sick had reached Imphal to defend it against all the odds piled heavily against them. In a school set up by Rani's grandmother, Old Sodhi finds the photograph of Maya and realizes that Maya has been dead. Old Sodhi, finally redeems himself by helping his young group safely cross over from Burma into India, and keep his promise to Maya that he would one day return to Burma to find her and be with her when his body is blown by the Burmese soldiers to ashes and glory.