Young aviators back from World War I found that giving up the exhilaration and freedom of flight was not an easy task. Robert Redford, in the title role, barnstorms across the Midwest, taking on rival after rival in his quest for the number one spot in the skies. He meets his match in Axel (Bo Svenson), and together they soar to great heights in stuntmanship. Pepper’s sweetheart, Maude (Margot Kidder) stays by his side, high-jinx or not. Even when Mary Beth (Susan Sarandon), third member of the Waldo-Axel team, meets disaster in a daring, wing-walking stunt. The drama builds until Pepper finally takes on his longtime, arch-rival, former German World War I Ace, Ernst Kessler in one final dogfight to the finish.