The Vietnam War is finally over but for Lt. Jake Grafton, just back from two harrowing combat cruises, his own country seems almost as hostile. When his fists get him in trouble, he lands an excruciating eight-month cruise on the aircraft carrier Columbia teaching jarheads - Marines - the nuances of carrier aviation. Taking off from and landing on a slippery flight deck, on a choppy sea, in a pitch-black night, there is no room for error - or animosity. And while these Marines have Jake wishing he was back fighting the VC, he'll have to learn to live with them. For they must fly together in the same cockpit, and make split-second decisions that hurtle them towards their common goals: excellence - and survival.