Battle-hardened platoon sergeant Aaron Samples hates lieutenants, especially his new platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Stephen Carr. Having just arrived in Viet Nam, Carr is unsure of his own courage and competence, and he resents the way Samples is treating him. Somehow, though, they must find a way to work together, to lead and protect their men during three days of vicious firefights in the Crescent, a large stretch of heavy woods just west of Dau Tieng. The Crescent is crawling with North Vietnamese Army soldiers who are just waiting to ambush the armored personnel carriers of Carr’s and Samples’ unit in increasingly brutal battles. The third and largest ambush turns into chaos; Carr and Samples get left behind during the withdrawal, believed to be dead. Trapped behind enemy lines, with no hope of rescue, they have only each other to depend on as they evade capture and trek through miles of enemy-infested forest to safety.