The novel begins with a description of war. The narrator talks about being chased by war and how it was still not able to get to them. The narrator is an American soldier fighting in Iraq in a town Al Tafar. He is with his fellow soldier Murph and they are inspecting the area. The Lieutenant informs them that they will be fighting. The battle ends successfully.
There is a back and forth movement in time in this novel and the second chapter is about the enlistment ceremony of the soldiers. Bartle promises Murph's mother that he will bring her son back, a promise which proves a foolish thing to do.
In the next chapter there is a jump to the time when Bartle became AWOL and is dealing with the death of Murph. He visits a church and then and a brothel after which he returns to the station.
Returning to Al Tafar Murph received a letter of break-up from his girlfriend. The soldiers are preparing for the next battle which will take place in an orchard.
There is again a jump in time when Bartle returned home, he is greeted by his mother and when he gets home he takes all his clothes off and goes to sleep.
Next chapter, the soldiers are fighting in the orchard, a young medic dies. The battle ended successfully as there are not too many casualties on their side. In the decaying city Al Tafar soldiers reach a bridge with a body bomb. The bomb explodes but no one is hurt. They take care of the enemy and proceed to clean out the bridge.
Back to the future, Bartle is having a hard time adjusting to the everyday life, he spends most of his time sleeping and remembering the events of war. He almost drowns at the river. After returning home he learns that the C.I.D is looking for him.
In the war time Murph is becoming distant and spends his time watching a young girl medic. The mortars suddenly begin to fall and the girl medic dies which crushes Murph.
In the next chapter, post war time, Bartle is living alone in an apartment; he is drinking heavily and becoming more and more depressed. The Captain of C.I.D found him and he comes to take him to jail.
In the tenth chapter in Al Tafar, Murph is completely gone. The soldiers learn that he walked the streets of the city naked and that he got dragged into a dark alley. Bartle and Sterling find his dead body beneath a minaret. Knowing the effect that seeing the body of her son in that state will have on Mrs Murphy the soldiers decide to dispose of Murph's body in the river.
In the final chapter there is a big jump in time, Bartle is in prison. Mrs Murphy visits him and he tells her the truth about her son. After leaving the prison Bartle starts living in a cabin close to mountains. He seems to finally accept the death of Murph.
