Before he became a congressman, Senator, and presidential candidate, John McCain spent six years as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War. He endured torture and horrific mistreatment at the hands of the North Vietnamese before returning to the U.S. As a politician, he had a reputation as a "maverick" for frequently breaking with his party on certain issues—a reputation he upheld until his death from brain cancer in 2018.

John McCain, Updated Edition chronicles his journey as a war hero and, later, as a legislator—a story of survival and honoring military code at all cost.