Flying Tigers: Chennault in China details the creation of the AVG, including the recruitment of American pilots and ground crew to serve as a mercenary air force for China before the U.S. officially entered the war. Heiferman highlights Chennault's crucial leadership and innovative tactical strategies, which were key to the group's success against a numerically superior Japanese air force. The narrative chronicles their early combat missions, starting in December 1941, and their role in defending Chinese cities and the vital Burma Road supply line.

The book provides an overview of the intense strategic and political disagreements between Chennault and his superior, U.S. Army General Joseph Stilwell, a conflict that ultimately contributed to the end of both of their military careers. Heiferman also describes the formal transition of the volunteer unit into the U.S. Army Air Forces' 23rd Fighter Group in July 1942, after America's official entry into the war.