The book is based on twelve speeches given by Cannon in 1942 explaining about his expulsion from the Communist Party USA as a Trotskyist in 1928 and the efforts to build a new, non-Stalinist communist movement in the United States.
The book is centered around the expulsion of Cannon from the Communist Party USA in 1928 due to his Trotskyist beliefs and his subsequent work on building a new, non-Stalinist communist movement in the United States.