This is an account of the project to rescue hostages held in Iran, by Iranians in 1980. This rescue attempt took place during the middle of what was internationally known as "the hostage crisis." Iranian university students took over the US Embassy, and took 66 prisoners. Thirteen were released early on after negotiations. The main reason for this course of action was because the same embassy was used by the American CIA in 1953 to restore the Shah to power in the country of Iran. There was a revolution in 1979 during which the Iranians did not want the Americans to control the outcome as had taken place a few decades earlier. Those who took the hostages were breaking an international agreement, although those who know enough history will quickly see why they stopped the American embassy from being able to function within Iran during this time. The author is one of the dominant military leaders of the project, a man who intended to both plan and participate in this effort. The book includes a prologue as well as the usual unfolding of the story. The work is dedicated to the man's wife and daughters.

The work begins after a plan has been devised by the military specialists. These people include the author, Colonel Beckwith, who is representing the military. He is taken to a meeting at the White House where the secret services are represented by a man he feels is surprisingly young, the President and Vice President are both there, and there also are two military generals and the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Interestingly enough, the author describes how he reacts to his own and other people's attire and behavior.

In order to explain this in a certain way, the author, in the first third of the book, provides readers with a rather complete history of his own military career and the history of the DELTA Force. The second third shows the processes—both social and military—that connect this man and this unit to this particular military operation.

The book covers the entire episode in American history. This was far enough in the past that it has become safe to disclose the information but is recent enough that many of the players are still living and the whole set of events continues to have a strong emotional component.