In the tranquil South of the 1950s, identical triplets are a medical rarity. Though alike in appearance, Matthew, Mark, and Luke Reilly are as different as three brothers can be, and compete fiercely to claim their individuality. Amid the violence of the Vietnam War, each discovers his unique calling, breaking the widely held notion they are an indivisible trio.

After Matthew is killed in an ambush, the surviving brothers return to a country they no longer recognize, and become estranged while pursuing career paths as divisive as the war itself. Luke wields power as a "starmaker" in the big leagues of national politics, while Mark earns the stars of a Marine Corps general. Years later, both find themselves serving a troubled president, embroiled in a fight for his political life.

For a group of powerful conspirators, sex scandals are the least of their worries. If more serious transgressions are disclosed, lives both inside and outside the White House gates will be ruined. Arranging the assassination of the century seems the cleanest solution. Aided by a modern-day Judas in the president's inner circle, a mysterious assassin known only as Cain is contracted to carry out the assignment.

In the shocking conclusion, choices made by young men at war collide with their present beliefs. Three decades removed from the war that shaped their generation, the faithful and the faithless confront a life-and-death contest at Camp David. Like a deadly version of Musical Chairs, some will live . . . some will die . . .

. . . One will permanently find himself the Odd Man Out.