Please note: This is a key takeaways and analysis of the book and not the original book.

Journalist David Finkel, who had previously written about the experiences of an Army infantry division fighting in Baghdad, now tells the story of soldiers grappling with the after-effects of their service in Iraq. Finkel focuses primarily on Adam Schumann, an extremely capable non-commissioned officer now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing several horrific scenes during combat as well as feeling tremendous guilt for missions he didn't go on that resulted in the death of colleagues.

Schumann returned from Iraq after these events and struggled to readjust to family life. He and his wife Saskia have a strained relationship. She feels the requisite amount of guilt for the injuries that he suffered, but also believes he must put that behind him and return to serving as a husband and a provider. Because he has not won a generous disability pension, like other injured colleagues, his diminished cognition and impaired judgment have combined to limit him to menial jobs and much-reduced workloads. He also experiences mood swings and nightmares, recurring conditions that have not endeared him to Saskia, who is struggling to raise their two children. Saskia has a complicated relationship with Amanda Doster, wife of Adam's deceased friend James Doster and the beneficiary of a large Army death benefit, whom she alternately pities and envies (and borrows money from, without ever paying it back).