Charming stunt pilot Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) soars through the Midwestern skies in his biplane, seeking the fame he missed out on during World War I -- and the chance to outperform the greatest pilot of all time, German ace Ernst Kessler (Bo Brundin). As the jaded public demands increasingly risky tricks, Waldo and Kessler both leave barnstorming behind and head to Hollywood to film a high-flying war flick.