The General's Daughter (1999) - Movie Synopsis & Plot

In a world where nobody asks and nobody tells, where the Army likes to keep its secrets buried and its dirty laundry unaired, the daughter of a popular general is found brutally murdered and no one wants to touch the case. But certain secrets cannot remain hidden forever when a tenacious investigator begins digging for answers only to find much more than he bargained for.

When warrant officer Paul Brenner (JOHN TRAVOLTA), a top investigator from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, is assigned to look into the murder of Captain Elisabeth Campbell (LESLIE STEFANSON), he inadvertently uncovers a scandal of immense proportions.Armed with the power to arrest any military person — whatever the rank — anywhere in the world, Brenner is determined to solve the crime, no matter where his pursuit leads, even if the clues point to his hero, General "Fighting Joe" Campbell (JAMES CROMWELL). Known for his leadership and valor during wartime, the General is also recognized as a man of honor and integrity, the main contender for a vice presidential nomination in the upcoming elections. He is a public man with a very private life.

Campbell’s daughter was the pride of Fort MacCallum, a poster girl for the military — beautiful, smart, a superior officer. When she is found bound and dead in the middle of a training field, the authorities fear the worst and team Brenner with another CID veteran, Sara Sunhill (MADELEINE STOWE). Sunhill and Brenner have met before, a lifetime ago, and now, in the midst of the biggest case of their careers, they must also examine their own life choices.

With the help of Colonel Kent (TIMOTHY HUTTON), Fort MacCallum’s Provost Marshall and an old friend of Brenner’s, the duo begin building a profile of their victim. As details about Elisabeth Campbell’s private life are unearthed, no one on the base escapes suspicion. The suspects range from the General himself to his adjutant, Colonel Fowler (CLARENCE WILLIAMS III), a faithful colleague and trusted family friend; to Colonel Moore (JAMES WOODS), Elisabeth’s mentor and commanding officer; to several of the enlisted men on base and even a deputy within the local sheriff’s department. But as the investigators move dangerously close to the truth, they find a web of lies and deceit that threatens to destroy an entire code of honor.

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