Based on true events, The Choice follows Colonel Ahmed Mansi, commander of Egypt's elite Thunderbolt Brigade, and his former comrade Ashmawy — once brothers in arms, now on opposite sides of a war. While Mansi fights to defend his country against rising extremism in the Sinai, Ashmawy has been radicalised into a militant leader. A gripping military drama about sacrifice, loyalty, and the diverging paths two soldiers choose.
The series follows the life of Ahmed Saber El-Mansy, the Thunderbolt Forces commander of the battalion 103 who was martyred in the checkpoint of the Burth Square in the Egyptian city of Rafah in 2017 while countering a terrorist attack in Sinai.
A terrorist attack happens on Rafah's ambush causing full death at the location.
Mansy asks his commander to let him take revenge of the terrorists, while Ashmawy asks his Ekhwany friend to join Alnasra frontline in Syria.
Mansy succeeds in avenging the nation's martyrs, while Ashmawy travels to Turkey.
Ahmed Mansy moves to Al Areesh in North Sinai, while Ashmawy participates in Rabaa's protests.
Mansy joins battalion 103 to fight alongside his comrades of the thunderbolt soldiers. A fierce battle takes place with terrorist elements that and it ends with the martyrdom of Fathy and a number of army soldiers and the killing of all terrorists. Ashmawy joins Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis.
Ashmawy pledges allegiance to the prince of Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis, he tells him of his plan to assassinate the minister of interior, and he wants a man to give his life for the operation. Mansy wants his father to tell his brothers about his illness.
Ashmawy prepares the details of the assassination plan with Emad and Walid. Mansy succeeds in controlling a farm with terrorists and ammunition. Walid carries out the operation to assassinate the minister of interior with a car bomb, but the operation fails to achieve its target.
Following the failure of the operation targeting the minister, Sheikh Hassan El-Jin tells Mansy that his nephew works with the Takfiris (people who accuse other Muslims of apostasy) and Mansy goes to arrest him. Ashmawy finds out that his family got arrested.
Mansy's father gets sick and Mansy takes a leave to stand by his father's side. The prince tells Ashmawy about a thunderbolt commander whom he desperately wants to catch, and his name is Mansy.
Mansy's commander tells him that Ashmawy is behind the assassination attempt of the minister of interior. Ashmawy and men from Bait Al-Maqdis kill a group of soldiers while returning to their camp.
Ashmawy carries out a similar terrorist operation as he kills soldiers on the road. Mansy and his team raid a Takfiri group and apprehend the terrorists. Abu Sa'ad joins Bait Al-Maqdis. The prince asks Ashmawy to carry out the bombing of the military intelligence bureau in Ismailia.
Ashmawy tells the prince that the bombing of the military intelligence bureau in Ismailia is almost impossible, but the prince insists and Ashmawy carries out the operation. Mansy tells his commander that Ashmawy is probably located in Ismailia and that he's responsible for the explosions there.
Prince Abu Abdullah decides to leave the Ismailia farm after receiving information that the security forces have intensified. Mansy helps the Takfiri's mother whom he gave food before. Private Yasser sees a Takfiri, and scarifies himself by getting himself blown up with him.
The martyrdom of the soldier Yasser, while a big argument happens between Al-Amir, Ashmawy and Emas, ends with Al-Amir scolding them.
Mansy and his men arrest Takfiri elements and Abu Suhaib escapes from him. Ashmawy joins the consultive council of Bait Al-Maqdis and prepares for a major operation.
Mansy waits to catch the dangerous sniper Abu Suhaib. He shoots him in the shoulder but he escapes. Ashmawy performs an operation with a car bomb and demolishes a vital facility building. Mansy locates Abu Suhaib and takes his men to arrest him.
Mansy arrests Abu Suhaib. Meanwhile, Mansy's father passes away. The army men succeed in killing Abu Ubaida and Abu Abdullah from the terrorist group, and Ashmawy takes over the leadership of the group in the New Valley governorate.
Ashmawy discovers the news of the prince's death, and he heads to the Western Sahara to offer his condolences. He then carries out a new operation, attacking a police checkpoint, and everyone in it is martyred.
Ashmawy and Emad carry out the attack on the Farafra checkpoint, and during the attack, 26 soldiers and two officers are martyred, as Ashmawy is shot in the foot.
Ashmawy escapes to Libya with Emad. Mansy is promoted and transferred to Cairo, and he says goodbye to his comrades and tells them he will be back in the near future.
Salmy pledges allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, and Ashmawy and Emad refuse to do the same. Ashmawy communicates with Ayman Al-Zawahiry and decides to establish Al-Mourabitoun and broadcast a video of his original identity. Emad returns to Western Sahara. Colonel Ramy Hassanein is martyred.
Mansy returns as commander of Battalion 103, and he encourages his team to regain the right of the martyrs. Sheikh Hussein tells Mansy the location of the man who made an explosive device that killed many martyrs. He manages to capture him, and Sheikh Hassan is kidnapped.
The terrorist group broadcasts a video of the execution of Sheikh Hassan on the Internet. Salem asks Mansy to help him arrest the Takfiris. Abu Al-Bara informs Mansy about the location of the Takfiris, after which he and his men raid the place but the Takfiris flee through the tunnels.
Salem cooperates with Mansy to arrest the Takfiri elements in Sinai. A new prince of the terrorist group is appointed. Salmy asks the prince to take revenge on Salem for helping Mansy. Salem is martyred by the Takfiri elements after saving Mansy's life.
Mansy returns to Cairo to spend the first day of Ramadan with his family and bids them farewell. Ashmawy tells Abu Omar that he wants to return to Egypt. Abu Osama tells Salmy that the leaders have targeted Mansy. Mansy takes his men to the Burth Square, south of Rafah, to defend it.
Mansy organizes the ranks of the forces in the Burth Square and selects his best soldiers for the task of raiding a Takfiri group, he and his comrades succeed in the mission.
The prince and Abu Sa'ad prepare themselves to attack the battalion in the Burth Square, and soldier Khaled sees two cars from afar and sounds the alarm, encouraging everyone in the battalion to prepare for the historical epic of Burth.
The Takfiri elements attack the Burth checkpoint, as one of them drives an iron car and detonates himself in the building. Mansy and his comrades fiercely defend themselves in a great epic that witnessed the martyrdom of many heroes, led by Mansy. The air forces launch an air strike on the Takfiris.
Captain Youssef Ahmed executes a retaliation operation in the name of Mansy, and executing the takfiris who attacked the Burth checkpoint. The terrorists Emad and Abu Omar are killed by an air strike. Haftar's forces hand Ashmawy over to the Egyptian authorities, where he gets executed.
The widow of the martyr Mansy, Mrs. Manar, recounts the details of his final days. The heroes who survived the Burth epic and the Farafra attack tell their stories and the stories of their fellow comrades and leaders in these battles.