The movie follows Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), a seasoned soldier who commands a team of eight men, including Private Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel), Private Timothy Updegraff (Giovanni Ribisi), and Medic Irwin Wade (Adam Goldberg). Their mission is to find and rescue Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), the last surviving brother of the Ryan family, whose three other brothers have been killed in action.