Benjamin Martin is a South Carolina planter who is still haunted by his notoriously brutal past as a soldier in the French and Indian War. When the American Revolution comes, he chooses not to fight for the Continental Army because he wants to protect his family. But when the British Colonel Tavington threatens their welfare and kills one of his sons, he chooses to enlist. Martin becomes the leader of a makeshift militia, which consists of peasants, slaves, a minister, and assorted other irregulars. During the war Martin and his men discover that they will pay a steep personal price for their rebellion. But thanks to their courage and bravery, they are also destined to pay a pivotal role in turning the tide against the Redcoats.