The Quiet American is a terrifying portrait of innocence at large. While the French Army in Indo-China is grappling with the Vietminh, back at Saigon a young and high-minded American begins to channel Economic Aid to a 'Third Force'. The Narrator, a seasoned foreign correspondent, is forced to "I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused." As young Pyle's policies blunder on into bloodshed, the older man finds it impossible to stand aside as an observer. But his motives for intervening are suspect, both to the police and to for Pyle has robbed him of his Annamite mistress.