Divorced and remarried, Ryan Lasseter works as an international airline pilot for Contrails World Airways. Based in Berlin, Germany, before the fall of the Wall, Lasseter and his wife, Lexi, take advantage of excursions to the many intriguing cities in Eastern and Western Europe, providing insight into the once-glamorous world of airline travel and the life of a pilot.
Lasseter's thoughts often take him back to his naval days where he excelled in military aviation. He thinks about his participation in the Vietnam War, the friends he has lost through accidents or enemy fire, and the demanding tasks involved in winning his wings.
But when he becomes enamored with a flight attendant named Katarina, a perplexing love triangle develops, and Lasseter begins the agony of personal disintegration because of an incurable disease. As the illness and relationships progress, Ryan experiences the mental anguish of trying to differentiate reality from fantasy and finds himself in a difficult dilemma.