Sergeant Rowdy Slater was the most incorrigible soldier in Dog Company, a group of paratroopers who fought in World War II.
After the war, Rowdy turns his life around, and falls into the only job available-preacher at the community church in Cut Eye. The town's lawman, suspicious that Rowdy's change was a sham, gives an ultimatum: Rowdy serves one year as Cut Eye's minister or end up in jail.
Rowdy replaces the willowy missionary who held the church together while the men were at war. But when a dark-hearted acquaintance from Rowdy's past shows up with a plan to make some quick cash, Rowdy becomes ensnared and life turns decidedly difficult.
This is a wild ride of a book bursting with bank robberies, barroom brawls and desperate prayers. Before the smoke clears, all sides might get exactly what they want.