Because of a shortage of Naval Intelligence officers during the Vietnam War, in 1969 an ordinary line officer is assigned as the Cambodian Analyst to the Commander of US Naval Forces in Vietnam (COMNAVFORV Admiral Zumwalt). Responsible for targeting Naval agent networks into Cambodia, Lieutenant Becker is caught in rivalries between various US intelligence agencies. He is soon disillusioned to discover that he can trust the head of North Vietnamese Intelligence more than the CIA. Circumstances of war thrust the junior officer into the high-level diplomatic stage where he is torn between the expectations of US diplomats, the intrigue of Cambodian officials, his respect for Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk and his sense of morality. Rogue US spies who resort to blackmail and murder complicate the lieutenant's struggle to thwart a coup attempt engineered by the CIA.The author served as the Navy's Cambodian Analyst in Saigon from May 1969 to May 1970. During his tour of duty, the US established diplomatic relations with Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh died, Prince Norodom Sihanouk was overthrown and the US Army invaded the Cambodian border areas leading to the Kent State massacre. The events of this novel are based on the author's reflection of his experience in Vietnam.