Brian Carland

Days Of Affliction is a fast-paced story of the legendary Tet Offensive of 1968 from the viewpoint of both its Vietnamese and American participants. On the eve of Tet, the Vietnamese lunar New Year, Viet Cong forces concentrate outside a provincial capital in South Vietnam. While the Viet Cong gather, two American soldiers view Tet eve, with its communist declared truce, as an opportunity to enjoy an illicit night in the town. They are Roger Meyer, an emotionally empty GI, and Greg Harrison, a heroin sniffing pleasure seeker. Roger spends the evening with Mai, a prostitute. Greg celebrates with Thanh, a drug dealer, and Thanh’s girlfriend. When the attack starts the Viet Cong quickly overwhelm the city defenders and establish their headquarters in the provincial governor’s residence. Roger is trapped in the villa where Mai lives. Greg, also prevented from returning to the base, fears that Thanh and his girlfriend intend to betray him.

Attempting to escape, Roger’s situation worsens, however, when he and a French priest are arrested. The priest and the American are taken to the governor’s residence, now People’s Army Headquarters, and imprisoned. There they encounter Mai, who promises to aid them if she can. Mai meets a war-weary Viet Cong named Minh, one of Roger’s guards. It’s love at first sight for the pair, who work out a plan to save the priest, the soldier, and themselves.