How did a wealthy American businessman orchestrate a daring helicopter escape from a high-security Mexican prison in 1971? Authors Warren Hinckle, William Turner, and Eliot Asinof investigate the complex logistics, political connections, and criminal underworld ties that facilitated Joel David Kaplan's flight from Santa Martha Acatitla. The text utilizes investigative journalism to reconstruct the planning phases, the execution of the aerial extraction, and the subsequent international fallout surrounding the event.

Critics and readers often note the fast-paced, journalistic style of the narrative, which reads more like a thriller than a standard historical account. Experts highlight this as a significant document for understanding the intersection of international crime and political intrigue during the early 1970s.