- An ex-Navy man carrying out the last wish of a dying shipmate renews contact with old friends to break the code of silence around a mysterious, long-buried crime.
- They call him "Handsome" Harry Sweeney. At 52, the Vietnam veteran has kept his rugged good looks. Everyone likes Harry, an electrician by trade who loves to sing but for some reason he never lets anyone get too close. He's been divorced for a long time, has a son whom he rarely sees, and, although he's engaged in a long-term flirtation with the waitress at the diner, seems destined to remain alone. One day, Harry gets a call from a former Navy buddy, Tom Kelly, whom he hasn't seen in some thirty years. On his deathbed and terrified of going to Hell, Kelly convinces Harry to seek forgiveness on his behalf from a comrade they betrayed long ago, David Kagan. At first, Harry wants nothing to do with Kelly, Kagan or the remnants of his murky past. But guilt and memories have a mysterious grasp on Harry, and he finally relents, driving down the East Coast to call on his old comrades. As he confronts the three other men involved in a long-ago crime, he observes how each man has dealt with his own guilt. The rugged Rheems hides behind righteous moral posturing and economic success. The intellectual Porter has divorced himself from the violent implications of his past in the military. Soft-spoken Gephardt has turned to Jesus. Though they've all grown older, it is unclear whether any of them have really found salvation. As the road stretches out before Harry, two mysteries gradually unfold: what really happened on that night thirty years ago, and the mystery of what it has meant to Harry and how it has shaped his life ever since. It is only through confronting the events of the distant past, and finally confronting David himself, that Harry can begin to truly live again.—Worldview Entertainment
- While the setting is not made clear, it is eventually obvious the movie does not take place near to Philadelphia, Chicago or Miami. One character makes a reference to Albany like it is nearby, and the closing credits say it was made in New York state.
Wherever this movie takes place, Harry is ready to retire and turn his electrical business over to his top employee Pauley. Harry was an electrician in the Navy and worked for a business when he got out, later taking it over, and then he went somewhere that would let him forget something terrible that happened in his life, taking over another electrical business. Muriel, a waitress who seems to be a potential romantic partner, warns him retirement could kill him. Harry doesn't seem to care about that.
Harry's son Bobby comes from Chicago to spend time with his dad on his birthday. That doesn't turn out to be a very satisfactory visit, as Harry's old Navy friend Kelley calls to ask Harry to visit him in a VA hospital in Philadelphia, where he is near death. And Bobby is having his own problems.
Kelley fears he will not be forgiven for what the group did to Kagan. It takes a while to find out exactly what happened, but they must have done something really bad. Flashbacks show the events that led up to what the men did. Kelley's memory is not clear because the men had been drinking, and Harry is not too sure either. Harry continues his travels by visiting some of the others who participated.
Flashbacks show the friendship between Harry and Kagan, including a visit to Kagan's parents.
Rheems is not a nice man, abusive to his wife, and rejecting his homosexual son. The wife is attracted to Harry and wants to leave.
When Harry interrupts his college class, Prof. Porter denies having even been in the Navy, but the professor admits to having been a part of the group. Harry still doesn't get a clear answer.
Harry also visits Peter, who has a strong Christian faith which was made stronger by his wife's terrible accident, which left her paralyzed and completely dependent on others..
Harry finally goes to Miami to met with Kagan. Eventually, he gets the answers he seeks, and the audience learns what really happened.
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