The scores of naive, frightened, and awed young men arriving daily in Vietnam were branded "Cherries" by their peers. Thrust into an unpopular war, these new recruits had much to learn before being accepted and fully trusted by their brothers. The first few months in-country served as an intense learning experience, where they saw, heard, and endured things never thought humanly possible. When they had finally learned how to fight in the war, it was time for them to go home.

This story follows an eighteen-year-old "Cherry" serving his year in Vietnam. He and his fellow soldiers would experience more fear, sadness, and pain during their tours of duty than most men would endure in a lifetime. These boys are forced to become men virtually overnight, learning the ropes quickly to make life or death decisions, while depending upon one another to survive.

Throughout their transitions from Cherries to war-hardened veterans, their experiences are at times educational, horrific, comical, and tragic in their never-ending search for the enemy through the dark, wet, bug-infested jungles and mountains of South Vietnam.