The protagonist struggles to balance his new life in America while being a spy and reporting to his Communist superiors in Vietnam. In the novel, as the fall of Saigon takes place, the narrator, his best friend Bon, and the General he was working with escaped the war. During the evacuation, they were attacked, and Bon’s wife and child are killed. They fled to Los Angeles, where they all experience a culture shock. The General feels dehumanized and turns to alcohol as a coping mechanism. The narrator began working at a university and had sexual relations with a staff member. During this time, the spy continues communicating with Man, his handler back in Vietnam. During a later explosion incident, the narrator defies Man’s orders to stay in the US and accompanies the exiled troops back to Vietnam. He and Bon were united again in battle, and the narrator saves his