In Cosmic Era 0071, amid a galaxy torn by conflict between genetically-modified Coordinators and unaltered Naturals, the neutral space colony Heliopolis becomes a battleground. Kira Yamato, a Coordinator student, faces upheaval when ZAFT, a group of rebel Coordinators, attacks to seize advanced military mobile suits called Gundams. Despite losing four suits, Kira commandeers the final Gundam, the Strike. Escaping on the Archangel, an Earth Alliance vessel, Kira and his friends witness the brutal realities of war and its heart-wrenching toll.