The hidden history of women fighter pilots is uncovered in archive footage and the present day`s long dangerous flight of a Danish woman pilot to teenage Afghan girl Farial, united by their wish to fly. `Smiling in a War Zone - and the Art of Flying to Kabul` is a modern fairytale about simone Aaverg Karn`s stubborn struggle to build an air bridge across two continents. We follow her presistent negotiations with air traffic controllers and generals about airspace access, and we are with her in the cockpit when she finally takers off for Kabul, despite a definite no-go from the American Air Force. All this to give a girl in Kabul a chance to fly.