Military policeman Doug Hansons quest for redemption for an act of cowardice in Berlin takes him from the cold political struggle of a divided Germany to the heat of conflict in Vietnam. From the Berlin Wall to the Tet Offensive his courage is tested again and again as he is torn between the passion of Kim, a beautiful Vietnamese bargirl, and his sense of honor and duty. Day by day his struggle for salvation ebbs as the intensity of his passion for Kim increases.
But he is not Kims only admirer. Ba, an undercover VC operative also smitten by her charms, plots revenge against the hated Americans whom have defiled the flowering youth of their nation.
In every war there is a story of love and passion as cultures collide and the destiny of lovers is controlled not by strength of their desires, but by the fortunes of war. So it is with Shack Rat, a unique story of Vietnam.