This is not a traditional cross-over. Normally, it's one story that takes place over several different titles. This one has 3 different stories. One for X-Factor, one for X-Men, and one for The New Mutants. Each one is its own story. This was probably the biggest comic event from the late 1980's. There's a lot of action and lots of drama. I can honestly say that one of the comics almost made me cry. Considering it's a comic (and I don't particularly like the author of that story) it's really saying something. Yes, I don't like the author of some of the stories, but that's a more personal matter. The stories here are great. Louis Simonson and the amazing Chris Claremont are the key writers of these collection. highly recommend it.