The Navy Lightning II pilot call-signed Starbuck intercepts a Russian Tu-95 bomber inside the Estonian ADIZ. Flying far too close, Starbuck forces the bomber into a sudden jet-wash roll, sending it plummeting down to 2,625 feet above the sea before it recovers and flees. On the carrier, the maneuver causes serious concern. Capt. Brian McGinley and Rear Adm. Martin Stauffer step in to handle the fallout, but McGinley recognizes that Starbuck's reckless discipline threatens to destroy top-tier flying talent. Instead of facing a discharge, Starbuck is sent to NAS Fallon, Nevada, to attend the Elite Fighter Weapons School, Top Gun, to be broken down and rebuilt.

Upon arrival on a black Kawasaki Ninja, Starbuck draws immediate whispers and judgment from fellow pilots, including 28-year-old Lt. Hailey Kaczynski, nicknamed the Ice Queen, who publicly warns that a reckless attitude has no place at Top Gun. In the opening briefing, an experienced instructor displays the Baltic intercept footage on the screen, setting the stage for an intense training program designed to test whether pure skill can be tempered by discipline.