"Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace...." These sentiments, expressed by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address, inspired Bradley Marshall to enter government service. But by 1972 Kennedy is dead - and so are Marshall's ideals. An envoy for three presidents, he has negotiated with kings and dictators, the world's foremost liars.

Now, Marshall stands in the Oval Office, Kissinger on one side, Nixon on the other. Next stop: Vietnam. "Peace," Nixon says to Marshall, "is in your hands."

1. A Bitter Peace takes us into a world where men succeed at carving up continents but fail to protect their own children...where nothing has value, everything a price. Ultimately, beyond the battlefields, the conference tables, and the enclaves of power, a man of conscience finds a far more challenging world within himself, and the one goal worth pursuing - that of personal redemption.