The story of a young Australian anaesthetist's service in the Vietnam War - a year filled with experiences. Marshall Barr prefaces his Vietnam memories with his account of growing up in Brisbane during the Pacific war, his pre-war training and last minute flings, the shock of his first experience of a foreign land and a war zone. In recalling his tour of duty, he is uncompromisingly honest about the use of alcohol as a refuge, the search for female companionship and the friendships which preserved his sanity.