More than 30 years after the events that took place in Top Gun, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is a decorated pilot, with combat medals and citations to his name. He should be a two-star Admiral by now, but titles don't mean much to him. He thrives on the adrenaline rush he gets from going fast, whether it's in a plane or on a motorcycle.

He is reluctantly forced to accept a new assignment. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer), who rose to the rank of Admiral, insists Maverick is the only one who can prepare an elite group of young pilots for a dangerous mission. One of the young fighter pilots is Goose's son, Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), who resents Maverick for what happened to his father in a training accident all those years ago.