The casualties of Vietnam extend far beyond the battlefield. More than two decades after the war's end, Sergeant Paul Reed remained a prisoner of his Vietnam experience. Endlessly tormented, he returned, at his mother's suggestion, to the relics of war that had remained sealed in his footlocker for nearly twenty years. Buried among his effects was a knapsack containing the personal diary of a fallen North Vietnamese officer.

As he pored through his enemy's belongings, he was struck at first by the realization that the "animals" he had been trained to kill were, in reality, caring, loving people. The Kontum Diary contained the writings of Nguyen van Nghia, whose poetry told of his love of family, country, and life. At this point, Paul Reed began to heal. He committed himself to finding the family of the soldier and returning to them the testament of their dead relative's love.

Just before his return to Vietnam, Paul was startled to learn that the man he had presumed dead was still alive. Months later, deep within the jungles where they once fought, they embraced each other as friends.