after frank gerard graduates from the united states military academy at west point, he's commissioned in the u.s. air force and becomes a b-52 pilot. for many months of his eight years in service, he flies bombing missions during the vietnam war from his bases in guam and thailand. years later, he's an internationally renowned energy consultant, but he wants more than anything to return to southeast asia and revisit the landmarks of his past. one of frank's colleagues introduces him long distance to le chi, a woman from north vietnam whose own family was involved in the decades of resistance and war with the french, the japanese, and the americans. she agrees to set an itinerary and accompany frank to visit some of the most horrendous battle sites in vietnam. leaving his wife and children behind, frank begins a fantastic three-week odyssey with le chi. together, they develop an understanding of each other's perspectives on the many years of war in vietnam. but when a powerful bond emerges between them, frank encounters difficult contradictions between exotic romance and his own traditional values. set against the backdrop of generations of conflict in indochina, the lotus redemption is a powerful novel about forbidden love, discovery, adventure, death and forgiveness.