The story of US Marine Garbot Fastman begins with a visit to the Vietnam memorial as he reflects on his life. Garbot is haunted by the ghost of his high school friend who died in Viet Nam; Billy's ghost is both guardian angel and tormentor as he warns and lectures Garbot for most of his adult life. It is told from the point of view of a dog and contains snippets of songs and poems Garbot struggled to write, as well as some attempts at storytelling for his unwritten novel. Garbot stumbles through life selling drugs, smuggling diamonds, and working for a stoic Native American Navy SEAL named Jack "Two Dogs" Northstar.