Growing up on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona, Ira Hayes was a quiet, shy boy. He never wanted to be the center of attention, and at school he often felt lonely and out of place.

By the time Ira was in his late teens, World War II was raging. When the United States entered the war, Ira joined the Marine Corps. He believed it was his duty to fight honorably for his country, and with his marine buddies, Ira finally felt as if he belonged. Eventually they were sent to the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, where a chance event and an extraordinary photograph by Joe Rosenthal catapulted Ira to national awareness and transformed his life.

Filled with all the patriotism and tragedy of wartime and its aftereffects, Quiet Hero is the story of one man's courage in the face of both military and personal battles. It is a poignant tribute to Ira Hayes--a man who was considered a hero by everyone but himself.