Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a great fighter pilot -- so great that he dubs himself "The Great Santini." While his take-no-prisoners attitude and willingness to fight has served him well in the military, he's unable to turn it off at home. Eventually his competitive nature and abusive behavior take their toll on his relationships with his wife (Blythe Danner) and his rebellious 18-year-old son (Michael O'Keefe) after a friendly father-and-son basketball game turns ugly.