Tom Kington left his family farm in rural Indiana to attend Colombia University he was seeking an opportunity to broaden his horizons. What he finds is a career in the foreign service. During his long, checkered life as a diplomat, Tom is forced to explore the true meaning of friendship while dealing with real historical events in the hot spots of the world. "Is that your advice as a friend? Put my career before my responsibility as a political officer in the State Department?" Stefan shrugged. "I'm just being a realist. Nobody listens to us junior staffers. We're one notch above secretaries and cleaners. This ain't no different than any other job. You got to be patient, rise through the ranks, wait for your time." "Thanks for the advice. You're the second person this week to counsel patience." "Who was the other?" "The guy who runs the noodle stall." Stefan chuckled. "Then I'm in good company. Seems like you got two friends in Saigon." Two friends indeed, but which one, if either, was the real friend?