Set during the turbulent era of the Vietnam War, “Counters” is a quirky, thrilling story of air combat and of the young fighter pilots who blend the harsh reality of war with youth’s untamed urges.

As the pilot of a sleek F-4C Phantom II, self-doubting Lieutenant Steve Mylder fights for his life in the skies above Vietnam in 1967 but battles for his soul against the Red Baron of his imagination. His cocky friend Avery-womanizer and master of the art of combat seduction-thunders fifty feet over a North Vietnamese beach, looks down, locks eyes with an improbable woman, and falls into hopeless love.

Steve and Avery count their missions, hoping against the odds that they’ll make it back home alive instead of in a body bag. But liberating the recklessness in their souls is sometimes the only way to deal with the unknown, and the two friends soon realize that growing up is a lot harder than they thought.

In “Counters,” humor and whimsy counteract with authentic details of air combat brought to life by former air force pilot Tony Taylor, illuminating a brooding yet fanciful look at the hormones and “warmones” that impel young men to war and stupidity.