The book is about a military family during WWII through the Cold War. Their background and history touches the highlights of WWII, then winnows its history down to that of the Cold War and an over-flight. One recognizes and develops a metaphor with the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a lyrical ballad or poem that captures both the exaltation and the misery of their lives. Charlie joined the Air Force in 1941 and later married Charlotte Lee. Jackson, her brother, joined the Navy in 1947. Both became officer pilots and flew intelligence aircraft during the Cold War, and both became intelligence officers. Their ages made one a veteran of both wars while the other itched to be a veteran of WWII but had missed it. When Jackson joins a China over-flight, he causes a mortal crash that eventually drives him mad, just as the ship did to the Ancient Mariner.