An unprovoked attack against a neighboring country, an assault by a strike team deep into enemy territory, and a declaration of war against the world plunges a previously peaceful existence into bitterness and chaos. Thrust into the ensuing madness is a young man named Squall Leonhart, a cadet in the Garden military academy of Balamb. A lone wolf by the standards of others, Squall's relentless drive to become the best leads him into SeeD, an elite mercenary unit. His final test as a graduating cadet of SeeD is to settle the growing hostilities between the neighboring countries of Galbadia and Dollet.