An ex-marine (Patrick Cassidy), in search of some defining life direction, unexpectedly faces a hurdle when his jeep breaks down in a sparsely populated Wyoming town. While waiting for parts to repair the vehicle he takes a temporary job as a rest area attendant and moves onto a ranch run by a one-legged widow (Frances Sternhagen) with a mentally handicapped son (Jace Alexander). When an abandoned Vietnamese girl joins the group, the scene is ready for confrontation and tragedy.