In one of his beloved early bestsellers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener details the exploits of the American men who fought the Korean War in the air, as well as their lives on the ground. Young and innocent, they arrive in a place they have barely ever heard of, on a ship massive enough to carry planes and helicopters. Trained as professionals, they prepare for the rituals of war that countless men have endured, just as frightened...

Yu Yuan, a "volunteer" in the Chinese Army sent to bolster the Communists during the Korean War, sees his hopes of ever returning home evaporate when he is captured by the Americans and sent to a POW camp where his ability to speak English results in his being the unofficial translator for the pro-Nationalist and pro-Communist factions in the camp.

When Captain Ken McCoy is asked to leave the Corps after his report on probable North Korean hostilities displeases his superiors, he is hired by the CIA and must join with other veterans to retaliate against Korea's invasion of the 38th parallel.

Coerced by a vindictive malefactor, a runaway teen embarks on a spree of violence, thievery, and destruction. After a year of incarceration, he becomes a ward of the state under the guardianship of a small-town clergyman. In the interest of turning a new leaf, he sets out to become the ultimate man of honor; however, juvenile hijinks, a monstrous housemate, love's first bite, and raging wildfires provide formidable opposition. Tangled in angst, confronted...