Part 1. Geography and history -- This accursed land -- Missionaries and gunboats -- Part 2. Origins of conflict -- A fateful division -- Two states emerge -- Part 3. China goes to war -- Power play -- American hubris -- China crosses the Yalu -- American calamity -- Part 4. The American response -- Indignation and attrition -- The bombing campaign -- Nuclear near miss -- Secrets and lies -- Propaganda prisoners -- Part 5. The legacy -- New world order -- Dystopia -- Afterword: the battle for Maryang San.