Tom Loftus is accepted in the elite special ops Panther Unit. By taking the position, he leaves the love of his life Kath behind in the rural town of Appleton, Vermont. They had planned to have a family and settle down in Appleton. Loftus leaves on a bus out of town watching Kath slowly fade as he begins a new adventure.

     After intensive training following his prior four years in the service, Captain Loftus in assigned to the Asian wars where he meets his lifelong buddy Zach Grasso. Their adventures, bordering on science fiction, become legendary. Loftus loses many close friends in the four years on the Asian Continent.

     He learns that Kath has married a local professor in Appleton. Loftus begins a drinking binge in southeast Asia bars, nearly escaping death. His superior Frank De Luca and his case officer Vernon Crawford along with Zach bring him back to reality.

     De Luca arranges for Loftus to run the security for US Presidential candidate Nathan Allsworthy. Loftus is slated for a top intelligence position with Allsworthy far ahead in the polls, until a fatal explosion near Long Beach and San Pedro Harbors outside Los Angeles.

     Loftus ends up in San Francisco to meet a woman he met in the service. That does not work out and he end up in Coit tower every night where Zach eventually tracks him down. He reminds Loftus of how he always talked about owning a restaurant and convinces Loftus to buy a rundown abandoned piece of property that they eventually convert to a new a modern restaurant called the Loft. The story ends with Loftus lamenting the decision to join the Panthers because he lost Kath, and he dreams about what could have been.