I do solemnly swear to support and defend the United States against all enemies both foreign and domestic . . . The book is the story of one man, John Carter, who took the above oath when he was seventeen and lived by it his entire life. It shows his rise from private to four-star general in the United States Army. It shows his ability to adapt to changing times and to form a multimillion-dollar corporation to continue to enforce the oath. The book shows John as a man devoted to his country, family, and friends and how he made them rich beyond all imagination. It also shows John as a caring individual ready to accept the challenges and become a political leader for the community he loved.