Includes bibliographical references (pages 433-441) and index.

Introduction: "The Bay of Pigs thing" -- Prologue: "Balls were in the air" : Saturday April 15, 1961 -- pt. 1. Honeymoon: April 15-October 26, 1959 : "Viva Castro!, April 1959 ; "Point of no return", Summer-Autumn 1959 -- pt. 2. A program of covert action: November 3, 1959-January 19, 1961 : "It's a secret", November 1959-March 1960 ; "Program of covert action", December 1959-March 1960 ; "A question of propriety", 1954, 1960 ; "The end justified the means", May-August 1960 ; "Shock action", Autumn 1960 ; "No easy matters", November 9,1960-January 19, 1961 -- pt. 3. Golden interlude: January 20-April 14, 1961 : "A grenade", Winter 1961 ; "A stone falling in water", February 8-March 15, 1961 ; "Too spectacular", March 1961 ; "Albatross", Late March-Early April 1961 ; "A fanatical urge to begin", April 12-April 14, 1961 -- pt. 4. D-Day: April 15-April 19, 1961 : "This is the aggression", Saturday, April 15: D-2 ; "This air will be yours", Sunday April 16: D-1 ; "There goes the war", Monday, April 17: D-Day ; "Sour like you wouldn't believe", Tuesday, April 18: D+1 ; "The loneliest man", Wednesday, April 19: D+2 -- pt. 5. Aftermath: April 20-December 31, 1962 : "The way things are going", April 20, 1961 ; "Defeat is an orphan", April 21, 1961 ; "No one knows how tough", Spring 1961 ; "Success is what succeeds", Late Spring 1961 ; "It will be a cold winter", Summer 1961-Winter 1962 ; "A man who knows", Spring-Autumn 1962 ; "Abyss of destruction", October 14-November 24, 1962 ; "There are no obstacles", Christmas 1962 -- Epilogue: "It could have been worse."

A recounting of the Bay of Pigs Crisis drawing upon the author's father's connection to the events as they played out.