Three Montagnard boys befriend and protect Tom MacLaine after he escapes off the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. Trying to return to their home village, the boys encounter man-eating tigers and engage in deadly inter-tribal warfare along the way. MacLaine's second attempt to gain rescue from the Air Force ends in another tragedy, not of his making. Upon finally reaching the village, he must go before the village elders who will determine whether or not he can live with them in the remote mountains of Laos. Elizabeth learns Tom is free but lost in Laos. Much to her angry frustration, the Pentagon cannot help find his whereabouts. Meanwhile, she embarks on a hard-fought, mud-slinging political campaign for a seat in Congress. Behind in the polls from the outset, her chances of winning are in doubt. Nevertheless, she carries on like a true MacLaine.