Jelly Donut is a former Vietnam Marine Corp Private Gunner of a Huey Chopper that flew over the chaos of the Mai Lai Massacre in 1968. It is now 1981 and he a free lance writer, who is guardian of his biological niece, Jennifer Donut and partner to Echo Elira. Jelly Donut has PTSD and was addicted to Opium as a US soldier in combat, but "kicked the habit" to become consumed by Alcoholism, LSD, Cigarettes and Coffee. Echo Elira is a Social Worker who has the early signs of "GRID", what AIDS was callously called back in the early 80s. She is addicted to Heroin and morphine and had shared a needle with a co - worker once.