Flyboys Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson) and Billy Covington (Robert Downey Jr.) transport cargo --everything from food to animals to contraband -- for a clandestine CIA operation set up to help finance the Vietnam War. Though Ryack is onboard for the mission, Covington harbors doubts about its ethical implications. But when it becomes apparent that a higher value is placed on the cargo than on the men delivering it, Ryack questions his involvement.