When Walker Garrett leaves his home in the heart of the Jim Crow South in 1898 as a naive young man, he thinks he is only going to Cuba to fight the Spanish. That, however, is just the beginning. Swept along by events beyond his control, Garrett soon finds himself caught up in the thick of hair-raising adventures in exotic and diverse places as he circles the globe. His odyssey includes stops in Cuba, Panama, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, China, and Russia. Historical figures are interwoven into the story, and real historical events are described. Friendships with black U.S. soldiers and Cuban and Filipino fighters change Walker's attitude on race. Gradually, he is forced to reevaluate everything he thinks he knows and believes, and, in the process, evolves into a radically different person. Returning home more than two years later, Garrett is amazed to find that one final surprise awaits him there.