Vietnam. The word still resonates with powerful emotions: death, lost souls, devastation - both human and material - shattered men, and a country equally broken and horribly divided.
Into this turbulent backdrop steps Jack Houston, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina. Thrust into the heart of the conflict, Jack's journey encapsulates the grim realities of the Vietnam War and the crucial role of the surface Navy. After fierce combat in places like Phu Quoc, Rach Gia, and Hue during the Tet Offensive, Jack's ship, the highly-decorated Black River, faces a new challenge. A new commanding officer, Cork, takes over, driving - what the crew calls 'corkscrewing' - the ship into both operational and morale disasters.
This narrative explores the impact of Captain Cork's leadership on Jack and the crew, filled with moments of profound sadness and unexpected hilarity. The climax comes with the Black River, now under Jack's command, confronting six Chinese gunboats in the Taiwan Straits: a hopelessly mismatched battle, given the ship's unsuitability for naval combat. The survival of Jack and his ship hangs in the balance as they navigate this deadly encounter.
Parallel to the war story is Jack's poignant love affair with Melanie Lawton, a spirited graduate student back in Carolina. Through her perspective, we witness the defining events of 1968 and 1969: antiwar demonstrations, the chaotic 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, Woodstock, drug culture, and political assassinations. One devastating decision made in the midst of war shatters Jack and Melanie's relationship, leaving Jack to question if he can ever reclaim what he lost in Vietnam - his love, his peace, his future.