Placed in the South Pacific and dealing primarily sustaining one platoon of riflemen, a novel largely eschews depiction of combat, apart from either the opening sequence, & instead focuses on the psychological portraits of the men in the squad. A tension of a novel derives mostly from either a conflict between officers & men, including a lieutenant of the squad & the men under him also when his superiors.

A novel was Mailer's number 1 & was tremendously successful, establishing his reputation as a novelist & bringing international recognition.