Adapted from Irwin Shaw's best-selling novel, this Emmy-winning mini-series tells the story of brothers Rudy (Peter Strauss) and Tom (Nick Nolte) Jordache. Beginning in 1945 and moving through to the 1960s, we see how the two brothers follow very different paths in life, one becoming wealthy and successful, the other facing ruin and destruction. The series also chronicles many of the most important events in the latter half of the American century, including the McCarthy witch hunts, the Korean war, the birth of the Civil Rights movement and the student riots of the 60s.