Captain Karen Emma Walden, one of the first American women in a combat command position, is killed some time after her Huey is shot down over enemy territory. Major Net Serling, previously one of the military's rising stars, finds his career prospects flagging after the men under his command are caught in friendly fire. Now Captain Walden is up for the Medal of Honor - the distinguished award bestowed on many courageous men in wars past, but never before on a woman. When Serling is appointed it investigate her eligibility, he soon realises that he's been thrown into a delicate political situation. For there are plenty of old timers who'd rather Captain Walden didn't receive her medal, and plenty of witnesses whose stories just don't tally. It's up to Serling to discover the truth about those bleak desert hours between the Huey crash and Captain Walden's death. A truth that could damage Walden's reputation but ressurect his own career.