John Colter, a wounded veteran, returns to the States still carrying the demons of war, hauntingly disturbed by the everyday expectations of friendships and love interests. In Montana he meets Ike, a surly, headstrong fly fisherman more than twice his age, and Lucy, a talented-photographer-turned librarian who reads aloud to veterans. Both are damaged in their own way. While getting treatment for his wounds, both physical and psychological, Colter wants only to re-enlist, to have something to die for. But the real challenge is finding something to live for.