An Irishman in the U.S Marine Corps, Charles U. Daly thinks fighting in Korea will be an adventure and a way to live up to a family tradition of service and soldiering. He comes home decorated, wounded, and traumatized, wondering what's next. His quest for a new mission will take him to JFK's White House, Bobby Kennedy's fateful campaign, the troubles in Northern Ireland, and a South African township devastated by the AIDS epidemic. Chuck's life is a true story of living up to Kennedy's challenge to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

At every juncture, he's had two options: make peace or die. Daly chose to make peace with his fate every time, and that decision led him to a remarkable life of service.