This is the story of what might have happened had the Gulf War gone terribly wrong.

The novel begins during the Battle of Khafji at the opening of the Gulf War in 1991, a battle in which Daniel Dvorkin participated as a medic. In this alternate version of history, a secret organization that has infiltrated many Arab armies and governments emerges from hiding and inflames a broad anti-Western uprising. What was supposed to be a safe war designed to ensure the reelection of George Bush turns into a disaster that destroys his presidency, puts Dan Quayle in the White House as the puppet of right-wing elements in the intelligence community, and imperils the West. The consequences are widespread and frequently grim, from a resurgent Soviet Union to an ongoing and bloody war in the Middle East. Dawn Crescent depicts the interwoven lives and adventure of a diverse group of characters – soldiers, spies, subversives, innocents – in this turbulent world.