In a war-torn world half a century ago, a young man named Nathan Ben seeks to survive and understand his own humanity in a foreign land and collision of cultures. As a mortar man in the infantry and then the battalion correspondent, he is given the freedom to explore these worlds and is taken ever deeper into harm's way.
He becomes close to the local people. Hoan, a National Policeman who is not who he seems to be and protects Nathan without him knowing. His sister, Hoa, with whom Nathan shares mutual comfort in times of great sorrow. And little brother, Moi, a sly street hustler.
Moi guides Nathan up a nearby mountain to a monastery where he meets Brother Thich, an impassioned monk who wants only peace for his people. On that same mountain Nathan meets a reclusive old man and they enter into a dialogue that challenges him to his core as the war rages on around them.
Nathan learns many myths and the importance of poetry in this land. Of the "wandering souls" of the dead his army uses to scare the enemy into surrender. Of Kieu, an ancient heroine of many faces who shows up in the strangest of places.
Back among his fellow soldiers, Nathan befriends Reece who works in "psychological operations" and takes in an orphan boy named Tia. And Ben Yazzie, a native man and jokester who walks point for his platoon. And gentle Doc, a medic, who will not go home to see his new child.
The deaths of fellow soldiers and the suffering of the local people deeply trouble Nathan. Finally he is witness to the destruction of a village and a brutal attack on his base. How much more can he endure? He feels powerless, what can he do?
He calls to the "wandering souls."