Operation Rolling Thunder roars across the skies over North Vietnam; American soldiers are outnumbered in the Ia Drang Valley.

American troops launch widespread search and destroy operations; body count becomes the measure of success in Vietnam; Charles Brown fights for survival on the bloody slopes of Hill 875 and at home; the American public begins to question strategy.

The massive Tet Offensive catches the Americans by surprise; US troops are under siege at Khe Sanh and Pleiku; Americans mount a counteroffensive but the shock of the assault ignites anti-war fervour at home.

The turmoil of 1968 helps Nixon win the presidency; the draft accelerates; Karl Marlantes endures bitter jungle fighting on Hill 484; Arthur Wiknik gets a grim introduction to combat.

Troop withdrawals begin; Gery Benedetti patrols the Mekong Delta; James Anderson leads a battalion into Cambodia; Don DeVore struggles to survive a fierce night attack; Anne Purcell gets promising news about her husband.

Bob Clewell's helicopter crew comes under intense fire; Joe Galloway returns to Vietnam; Barry Romo throws down his medals in protest; Anne Purcell awaits word of her husband's fate; the fall of Saigon brings the unification of Vietnam.