Vladilena "Lena" Milizé, a young military handler in the Republic of San Magnolia, is assigned to command the Spearhead Squadron, a unit made up of Eighty-Six: the persecuted minority forced to pilot drones in a war their government claims is bloodless. The squadron's field leader, Shinei "Shin" Nouzen, has survived every engagement but never managed to keep a single comrade alive. From her remote command post, Lena pushes against the military's indifference while Shin and his squad fight on the front line they were never supposed to return from.