John Henry Brummie Stokes tells his story in this book, from his birth in 1945, through his poverty-stricken childhood. In 1963 he joined the Green Jackets, and in 1966 the SAS and this book describes his military campaigns as well as how he reached the summit of Everest in 1976 via the South Col route with fellow SAS climber Bronco Lane. The book also tell how the author made his first attempt on Everest's Northeast Ridge in 1986 with Mo Anthoine and Joe Brown, while describing the psychological and physical stress that the preparation for a big climb entails.