The diary of an effervescent time, wedged between the sixties and the end of the Vietnam War, the story of an army journalist and his wife stuck in Cold War Germany traveling about in a third-hand VW named Velma. A reflection on coming of age, friendships under duress, service to country, race relations, the '72 Games, the life of gypsies, small theatre, missiles, escape routes to Spain, jazz and joy in the middle of pulling guard duty and painting tires.