A man wakes up in a war he never chose, sold into it by someone he trusted, and the only way out is to keep flying until he's killed enough people to buy his freedom. The movie doesn't waste time on why the war exists or who's actually winning it, it locks you in the cockpit with Shin as the price of each kill becomes heavier than the last. By the end, you realize the real trap wasn't the contract binding him to Arslan, it was the thing that happens to you when staying alive stops feeling like victory.

Kazama Shin is deceived into flying for the remote country of Arslan, pressed into a war he never chose. The only way out is to earn enough money by downing enemy aircraft, or die before he gets there. As the fighting drags on, he must live with the toll of killing and with friends falling around him, while trying to stay focused on winning his release. The film compiles the first two parts of the Area 88 OVA for theatrical release.