Echoes of the Fallen centers around John Venter, a young recruit still dealing with unresolved issues about his father's mysterious past and tormented by a past love. However, John soon discovers that he is not only fighting challenging drills and rough terrain at Fort Klipdraai, a brutal military training facility buried in a nasty wilderness, but also doubts of betrayal and conspiracy amongst his comrades. As John tries to find out what happened to Echo Squad, his father's legacy, and what dark schemes are happening around him, he has to fight internal and external enemies. Duty and honor, love and grief tear him. John finds this the most difficult lesson in this endless quest for survival and self-awareness: atonement has its terrible cost, and truth is often the first casualty in confrontation.