ETS is a humorous slice of life, coming of age story set in the Army during peacetime in the 1990s. Private Tom Bauer is awkward and nervous but introspective and curious. He leaves no mistake unmade on a journey to discover who he is and who he wants to be. The story opens with Bauer in basic training, where he has to curb his inquisitive nature and do what he's told without asking questions. After basic training, there are a series of travel mishaps that leave Private Bauer broke and walking through the streets of Baltimore in the middle of the night. When Tom gets to his duty station of Fort Drum, NY, he meets the core cast of characters. There's Alvarez- the wise mentor, Allen- the redneck roommate, Sergeant Hirsch- the funny and sarcastic supervisor, and Siobhan Jackson- a smart and thoughtful writer that Tom pines for even though she is out of his league. There are a handful of drunk conversations, which show what Tom and his new friends really care about. He listens to punk music and always feels like an outsider. Tom wasn't ready to choose a major in college, so he joined the Army. There is a beach trip, a bachelor party, a boat trip and plenty of drinking in the barracks. The drinking proves to be too much and Tom starts to realize he doesn't have control over that either.