Summary

In the early summer of 1996, Avi begins to dream about his life after he gets discharged the following spring; he imagines the travels he will take across the world. At this time, ambushes are a common Israeli military tactic in Lebanon. In the middle of June, Avi is assigned to man the radios in the war room while another group of soldiers departs on an ambush mission in the nearby forest. Another solider named Yaacov was part of the ambush team and remembers it clearly. The team hunkered down in the ambush spot uneventfully until 4:30 am when the official signaled it was time to return to the outpost. As the squad begins to move, three guerrillas who had been waiting for them in the bushes attacked. In the ensuing firefight, one of Yaacov’s fellow soldiers lost a hand, and Yaacov...