Interspersed with archival footage relaying the origins of the political unrest of the 1960s, United Red Army introduces us to the young men and women who will ultimately become militant activists seeking to overthrow the established world order. Two of the most radical student groups form the United Red Army (URA) and head into the mountains to conduct a training camp. Ideology devolves into despotism, and the URA's leaders begin to arbitrarily persecute their followers, a harrowing ordeal that culminates in violence and murder.