In the mid-1950s, against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world, two young men from different economic, cultural, educational, and spiritual backgrounds forged an unexpected friendship at California's Fort Ord Army base. Both trying to navigate the rigors of infantry basic training and a vindictive, racist black drill sergeant. Their relationship takes them through the hardships of military life to the exhilarating waves of Hawaii where surfing was undergoing a transformative evolution to the snow-covered mountains of Utah and a small segregated town in Alabama. Read how they react to the wealthy social circles of Honolulu, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Carmel. In contrast, walk with them down the mysterious streets of Honolulu's Chinatown with its strip clubs, whorehouses, tattoo parlors, and second-floor gaming rooms featuring "no limit" poker and mah-jongg games. All in the company of pimps, prostitutes, and tough Hawaiian "hit men." See how through all these situations they become entwined in a chain of life-changing experiences that culminate in a shocking, unsuspected conclusion.