In March 1942, on the island of Java, Indonesia, a Dutch major selects a pilot for a dangerous mission from the five U.S. Army airmen under his command. While waiting for word from the pilot, the others tell his life story to the major.

A small group of Allied soldiers and airmen on Java are being bombed by Japanese planes daily. With only one working fighter of their own, and five pilots anxious to fly it, the Dutch commander chooses George Collins to fly a mission to drop a 500-lb bomb on the Japanese carrier lying offshore. As the flight progresses, the commander asks the other pilots to tell him about George. They recount his rise from brilliant law student, through the time he became involved in the corrupt machine of his state's Governor, and his attempts to redeem himself, both in his own eyes, and in Freddie, his long-time love.—Ron Kerrigan <[email protected]>