This book is set during the turbulent 1964 Presidential campaign. The novel deals with the CIA's attempt to stop the infiltration of the North Vietnamese into South Vietnamese territory with supplies and terrorists by way of the Ho Chi Min trail. The story is filled with subtle wit, plots and counterplots, and lessons in making hard choices. It is not the most fast paced spy book I've read ... but then I think that's because it's written in an era that was more geared toward presenting the reader with ideas to ponder along the way and not so much high-energy adrenaline-pumping action. I enjoyed learning some of the background of America's involvement in the Vietnam Conflict.