Serving at three places in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, during the critical period between 1969 and 1971, Syed Shahid Husain saw the events unfold and presents in this book an analysis of the roles that each of the principal actors - Yahya Khan, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He saw history in the making, and the five decades that have passed since have not affected his conclusions. Facts are unchangeable, and it is only the opinions that differ. As Macaulay said, 'Facts are the mere dross of history. It is from the abstract truth which interpenetrates them, and lies latent among them, like gold in the ore, that the mass derives its whole value.' The book also contains some of his personal experiences at the time including an account of the killer cyclone that hit East Pakistan in 1970.