In 1968, Gary Mitchell enlisted in the Army and was sent to Vietnam, where he earned a reputation for keeping his head in extreme situations. This caught the eye of his superiors, who trained him in long-distance shooting, setting him on the path to becoming a sniper. Over a twenty-four-year career, Mitchell had twenty-four confirmed kills, most of these in Vietnam, where intelligence agents "borrowed" him from his Army unit.

This is not just the story of a man at war; it's also about the war within the man, because the memories of his sniper missions followed him home, throughout his career and into civilian life. And as the years went by, the full realization of what he'd done in the line of duty came back to haunt Mitchell's scarred conscience. With the love and support of his wife, Ellen, he struggled to understand what had happened to him, and what his actions revealed about him. And though the immediate horror of Vietnam was long past, he found himself facing a different kind battle--one that nearly destroyed him.