Bill Best, a veteran of the Vietnam War, spends his days and nights in the grip of an empty routine; whiskey, cigarettes and television form a taut border around the perimeter of his life. But beneath the surface of his everyday regime, Bill is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Gwynn, a mail-order bride from Vietnam. As the pair finally meet and settle in, the economic agreement that brought them together grow increasingly overshadowed by the ghosts of their shared past and the hope of a brighter future.