The tale of struggling writer Leon Barlow who is trying to make fiction from his past, his dreams, and the dim sound of the future bearing down on him. Divorced from his wife Marilyn, Vietnam veteran Leon has problems with alcohol and rarely gets to visit with his two children. Spending much of his time drinking and writing in North Mississippi hill country, Leon's only friend is his war buddy Monroe, who is puzzling over his own consuming love for a funeral home heiress. Leon struggles to balance his need to create with the needs of those around him. He manages to catch up on his alimony and child support payments, earning a weekend with his children, but he's disappointed with Marilyn's lack of support. While his wife haunts him, his mother sees in her son the return and demise of her beloved husband again... Things in Leon's life seem only to decline even further, until a sudden tragedy occurs...