The introduction presents the background to the writing of the book. The author is an experienced Guantanamo lawyer who represented many detainees, including the last two Kuwaiti detainees, and was asked by Kuwaiti colleagues and friends to tell the stories of the twelve Kuwaiti detainees their lives before Guantanamo, how they were captured, their torture and treatment at Guantanamo, how they came to be released, and how they have tried to rebuild their lives after their long ordeals. The Core Team is introduced, a Kuwaiti lawyer, Abdul Rahaman Al Haroun, an American lawyer, William Brown, both based in Kuwait, and their colleague in Washington, Marcia Newell. These three strategized and fought every day for fourteen years until the last of the Kuwaitis was released.

Chapter 2 presents a snapshot of the country in which the Kuwaiti detainees were raised, lived, and worked. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with vast hydrocarbon wealth. Unlike many countries in the region, it is not a complete autocracy; its hereditary Emir rules, but there are certain checks and balances, unlike many other countries in the region. It is a quiet, hardworking, family-oriented place, with generous social benefits and a highly educated urbanized population. The country’s history is defined by two great inflection points: Saddam Hussein’s brutal invasion, with the subsequent liberation led by the United States; and 9/11 and its aftermath, where Kuwait and Arab countries generally were caught up in the Global War on Terror. Because Kuwait owes its very existence to the United States, it is highly pro-American and the thought that young Kuwaitis were supporting terrorism against the United States was both hard to believe and profoundly troubling. The Family Committee and the Core Team were on their own until, some time later, the emir indicated that he would be supportive if it could be demonstrated that these men were wrongly detained.