The story is about the 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Division serving in the Republic of South Vietnam 1967-1970. The story is derived from operation reports, battle scenes, magazine articles, interviews, and experience incurred in battle conditions.

The book is divided into four sections. The first concerns the firefight where five American Soldiers are stranded in a Landing Zone. No helicopters were planned to return after the pickup helicopter aborted its mission. The men were captured and became prisoners of war. The second is the approval for the rescue mission, the recruiting, and the planning. The third phase is the search to find a Prisoner of War Compound in three countries—Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Laos. Two were found but were empty. The third was discovered in Laos where the prisoners were held. The fourth phase of the book is the journey through Laos and Cambodia on their way to Thailand and safety.