In the present day, an elderly World War II veteran and his family visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-mer; Normandy, France. The scene then cuts to the morning of June 6, 1944, the beginning of the Normandy invasion, with American soldiers preparing for the perils of landing on Omaha Beach and struggling against dug-in German infantry, machine gun nests, and artillery fire, which cut down many of the men. Captain John H. Miller, commanding officer of Charlie Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion,1st Infantry Division, survives the initial landing and assembles a group of soldiers to slowly penetrate the German defenses, leading to a breakout from the beach.Meanwhile, in the United States, General George Marshall discovers that three of four brothers in the Ryan family have all died within days of each other and that their mother will receive all three notices on the same day. He learns that the fourth son, Private First Class James Francis Ryan of Baker Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne is missing in action somewhere in Normandy. After reading to his staff Abraham Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby, Marshall orders that Ryan be found and sent home immediately.Back in France, Miller receives orders to find Ryan. He assembles six Rangers from his company, plus one man detailed from the 29th Infantry Division, who speaks fluent French and German, to accomplish this task. With no information about Ryan's whereabouts, Miller and his men move out to Neuville. On the outskirts of Neuville they meet a platoon from the 101st. After entering the town, Private First Class Adrian Caparzo is fatally wounded by a sniper, who is in turn shot through the eye by Private Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper). They locate a Private James Fredrick Ryan from Minnesota but soon realize their mistake after telling him the wrong information. They find a member of Charlie Company, 506th, who informs them that his drop zone was at Vierville and that Baker and Charlie companies have the same rally point. Once they reach the rally point, Miller locates a friend of Ryan's, who reveals that Ryan is defending a strategically-important bridge over the Merderet River in the fictional town of Ramelle.On the way to Ramelle, Miller decides to take the opportunity to neutralize a small German machine gun position close to an abandoned radar station. Technician Fourth Grade Irwin Wade, their medic, is fatally wounded in the ensuing skirmish. The last surviving German, known only as "Steamboat Willie", incurs the wrath of all the squad members except Technician Fifth Grade Timothy E. Upham, who protests to Miller about letting the squad kill the German soldier. As "Steamboat Willie" pleads for his life, Miller decides to let the German walk away, blindfolded, and surrender himself to the next Allied patrol. Viewing Miller's decision as letting the enemy go free, and no longer confident in Miller's leadership, Private First Class Reiben declares his intention to desert the squad and the mission, prompting a confrontation with Technical Sergeant Horvath. The argument heats up, until Miller reveals his origins, which the squad had set up a betting pool upon. Reiben then reluctantly decides to stay.The squad finally arrives on the outskirts of Ramelle, where they destroy a German halftrack with the help of three paratroopers, among them Private First Class James Francis Ryan. After entering Ramelle, Ryan is told of his brothers' deaths, and their mission to bring him home, and that two lives had been lost in the quest to find him. He is clearly distressed at the loss of his brothers, but does not feel it is fair to go home, saying, "these are my brothers" while looking at the small band whose duty it was to defend a bridge and destroy an approaching German mechanized reconnaissance unit. Miller decides to stay and help them in their task and the units regroup in Ramelle, joining with the American paratroopers defending the town. Miller orders his unit to help defend the bridge, taking command and setting up a creative defense plan with what little manpower and resources they have, including the construction of "sticky bombs" using explosives packed in socks which are then smeared in tar to disable the tanks.The Germans arrive in force with over 50 men supported by two Tiger I tanks, two Marder III self propelled guns, a towed FlaK 38 cannon, and at least one SdKfz 251 half-track. Miller leads the defense, but in spite of inflicting heavy German casualties, most of the paratroopers and his remaining squad (Jackson, Mellish, and Horvath), are killed. While attempting to blow the bridge, Miller is shot by "Steamboat Willie", who is now with the German unit attacking the town, and is fatally wounded. Just before a Tiger reaches the bridge, an American P-51 Mustang arrives and destroys the tank, followed by more Mustangs and advancing American infantry and M4 Sherman tanks who rout the remaining German forces. Upham executes "Steamboat Willie" upon finding him with a group of surrendering German soldiers. Ryan, Reiben, Upham and a couple paratroopers are among the only defenders to survive the battle, and Ryan is with Miller as he dies and says his last words, "James... earn this. Earn it."Back in the present, the elderly veteran is revealed to be Ryan at Miller's grave. Ryan asks his wife to confirm that he has led a good life and that he is a "good man", and thus worthy of Miller's and the others' sacrifice. He then salutes Miller's grave as the camera pans down the gravestones to a placid American flag and fades out as it shows the number of men who died at D-Day.