Captain Cleve Connell has already made a name for himself among pilots when he arrives in Korea. His goal, like that of every ambitious fighter pilot, is to chalk up enough kills to become an ace. But things do not turn out as Connell had anticipated and, while he inspires confidence in the younger pilots and confirms his own technical skill, mission after mission in which engagement with the enemy had been expected proves fruitless. Connell finds his ability and even his stomach for combat being questioned by his fellow airman and he watches as their expectations turn from him to the unscrupulous young Pell. Disappointment and fear begin to erode Connell's faith in himself, and his dream of making ace seems to be slipping out of reach, as the menace of one invincible enemy pilot grows daily mesmerizing.
Immeasurably enriched by the author's own experience as a fighter pilot in the Korean War, the story of Cleve Connell goes straight into the heart of the men's rivalries and fears. In prose that John Irving has described as "rare and stunning", this is more than unforgettable novel about men at war, but a considerable novel in its own right.
