The main character Clay Dawson is an all American boy who had a disappointment in not getting a scholarship to play football at a big university. Clay studies martial arts, he uses this training to protect June the girl of his dreams. They fall in love but she betrays him and breaks his heart. He joins the Marines Corps and shortly after boot camp he is thrown into combat. He has a run in with a CIA agent. Clay is thrust into the leadership roll while a low ranking Marine. Every time there is a battle he has a confrontation with this same agent. Clay does not approve of the way the agent does his job. While home recovering from a wound, he marries June who has divorced her husband. His unit is in trouble and Clay returns to Korea and has to call on the agent for help. Clay and his boot camp DI is assigned to the Agent on "temporary attached duty" (TAD). Clay receives a battle field commission. He is permanently assigned duty via TAD to the Agency. His heart is always with the Marines but gives the Agency his loyalty. His time is about equally divided between the Agency and the Marine Corps. Clay is looking for the perfect marriage.June had a child with her first husband and one child who she does not know if the father is Clay or her first husband. She then divorces Clay. Clay marries Amy, his partner in the Agency. Amy is identical to June and they find out she is June's twin sister, they were separated at birth. Marrying Amy he finds the perfect marriage. Clay and Amy have an exciting career in the Shadows of espionage, and his association with the Marine Corps.