Occupying Powers is basically a coming-of-age novel. The story takes place toward the end of World War II and during the occupation of Japan. Drafted into the United States Army at the age of eighteen, Chet Devlin must deal with his physical inadequacy, religious convictions, and sexual ambiguity. He endures basic training in Florida and serves as a medic in the Philippines and occupied Japan. He proves himself in combat on a patrol in the mountains of Cebu. In Japan he has to cope with the suicide of a buddy who cannot forgive himself for the human suffering he witnesses in Hiroshima. Later his feelings for a fellow soldier collide with loyalty to his dead buddy and with a growing affection for a pair of Japanese women who serve as their guides to the Tokyo area. A climactic weekend with the women at Nikko National Park gives him a clearer understanding of forgiveness and of the meaning of war and love.
