If you dance with the devil, then you must pay the devil. There are a lot of devils and Emmett Casey’s dance card is always full. When we first meet him, it’s time to pay up: it’s decision time.

Through the mean streets of inner-city Chicago and the steaming jungles of Vietnam, Emmett struggles with his world and himself. Rough beginnings in the slums of Chicago shaped him and made him tough; the last thing he wanted to be. Good and evil become relative to the situation, and he learns to dance with his devils—quickly. Balancing heroism and catastrophe, Emmett walks through his damaged childhood to become a decorated veteran, finding trouble and salvation at every juncture. He prays for redemption but knows he doesn't deserve it, forgiveness although he cannot accept it. Ultimately, the time has come for him to choose: face his ill-conceived choices and rise above his actions—or die.