In this Vietnam-era coming of age novel, a young man abandons military life and becomes an eyewitness to America's deep divisions over the war. Adrift and alone in 1969 America, a young man takes to the road. When Sam Roberts resigns from the Air Force Academy, his father is furious. His mother is understanding but offers little support. All Sam knows is he doesn't believe in the US's involvement in the Vietnam War and he can't be part of it any longer. Cut loose from a life he once believed in and the woman he once loved, Sam hitchhikes across the country in search of himself. As a passenger in the countless cars who stop to offer rides, he encounters people from all walks of life: Hispanic youths on their way to a quinceañera, retired WWII veterans with surprisingly different perspectives on the war, even a hippie who just left the military himself. His journey is an eye-opening tour through the polarized politics of 1960s America, a transporting exchange of ideas that sends Sam on his way to becoming the man he's meant to be.