Boston lawyer Brady Coyne loves few things more than fishing. So when the owner of a small bait-and-tackle shop is arrested in rural Massachusetts, Brady is sympathetic. But when he discovers Daniel McCloud has been arrested for growing marijuana - which the Vietnam vet uses only to treat his Agent Orange poisoning - Brady offers his legal services as well. While Coyne's skills are impressive, it's still a surprise when the Commonwealth suddenly drops all the charges. With the case out of the way, Brady befriends both Daniel and his beautiful girlfriend, Cammie Russell. He learns that Daniel McCloud spent his youth in the jungles of Vietnam and the rest of his life recovering from the experience. McCloud's men dubbed him "Snake Eater" for his impressive wilderness survival skills - skills that brought him - and most of them - home safely. As their friendship develops, Brady agrees to help Daniel find an agent for a book he's written. Coyne persuades an old law school buddy, now a literary agent, to read the manuscript. At first the agent is enthusiastic. Then, without explanation, he rejects it. Soon thereafter events take a deadly turn. Brady finds himself fighting a guerrilla war on the home front, unable to separate friend from foe in the last battle of a tragic conflict now half a lifetime past.
