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to the visit to the Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities seen as a prelude to a release which does not happen, to the revival of regular beatings by the guards followed by the exposure of the “finger gesture” by Time Magazine (true), to the nine-day period of intense interrogation and beatings called “Hell Week”, and to the hurried and fruitless efforts by Dr. Seuss and Nurse Kansas to treat the injuries inflicted during Hell Week when the punishment was abruptly stopped.

In addition, the crewmen in “Signs” discuss the relevancy of the military’s Code of Conduct, the pilot’s decision to crash Blue Ocean on land, the futility of escape, the Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty, the “soul of flies”, off-duty life in Japan (including the bars of Yokohama) where the EC-121M crewmen were based, the “religion” of Kim Il Sung, and more, including a humorous recounting of the plot of the movie “The Tractor Driver” and a pornographic rendition of a section from a propaganda booklet about Mrs. Kang Ban Sok, the mother of Kim Il Sung, North Korea's dictator.

The title “Signs” reflects the penchant of people to claim that they can glean truth and real facts from their understanding of events or happenings – reading the “signs”. For example, some sailors claim that events taking place in the prisoners’ compound, such as the showing of movies, the arrival of the 1958 Plymouth sedan, the appearance or disappearance of certain guards, the relaxation of restrictions for the “international press conference”, the promotion of “Super C” to “Super Star”, the issuance of summer clothes, and others, are “signs” that disclose the actual state of progress towards repatriation. They see these “signs” as facts, not simply their interpretation colored by an intense desire to leave. In one case, after months of captivity several crewmen claim to see the “signs” that identify one of their number as a traitor. To them the “signs” are clear facts of his betrayal of them to the North Koreans. They attempt to kill that “traitor” but are foiled by the guard most dreaded of all -- “the Bear”. A few days later, they learn that they were totally mistaken in their reading of the "signs" as showing a betrayal. The hated Bear had saved them. The novel ends with the “signs” telling some that the crew will soon be released and others that the crew will soon be put on trial and given long prison sentences as a negotiating tactic against the U.S. Are “signs” really facts revealed from events or are the “signs” simply a reflection of individual beliefs, interpretations or opinions and, for some, a way to gain power over others? As one crewman notes, “signs” are like the images of animals that can been found in passing clouds.