The mean streets of inner-city Chicago and the high-rise housing projects are a tough place to grow up unless you learn to swim like the other fish. Emmett Casey is a quick study but a slow learner, and he learns most of his lessons the hard way. As he navigates through the guilt and shame instilled by the Catholic nuns and priests, he learns that he can only trust his own instincts and the example that his father sets for him. He struggles to function in a world where he is far too smart for a society that moves too slowly for his restless spirit. He finds trouble because it is more interesting than the life that surrounds him, but trouble can have mortal implications when it goes beyond just interesting. Bad decisions and lack of commitment are tough to counter.

As a young adult with no direction the Army finds him. War takes him to the places within himself that he fears the most. The man in the mirror begins to resemble his father.Through the steaming jungles of Vietnam, Emmett struggles with his world and himself. The rough beginnings in the slums of Chicago shaped him and made him tough; the last thing he wanted to be. Good and evil become relative to the situation, and he learns to dance with his devils—quickly.

Balancing heroism and catastrophe, Emmett walks through his damaged childhood to become a decorated veteran, finding trouble and salvation at every juncture. He prays for redemption but knows he doesn't deserve it, forgiveness although he cannot accept it. Ultimately, the time has come for him to choose: face his ill-conceived choices and rise above his actions—or die.